2000 Republican Party presidential primaries
Template:Short description Template:Use American English Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Template:Use mdy dates Script error: No such module "infobox".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". From January 24 to June 6, 2000, voters of the Republican Party chose its nominee for president in the 2000 United States presidential election. Texas Governor George W. Bush was selected as the nominee through a series of primary elections and caucuses culminating in the 2000 Republican National Convention held from July 31 to August 3, 2000, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Campaign
The primary contest began with a fairly wide field, as the Republicans lacked an incumbent president or vice president. George W. Bush, Governor of Texas and son of George H. W. Bush, the most recent Republican president, took an early lead, with the support of much of the party establishment as well as a strong fund-raising effort. Former cabinet member George Shultz played an important early role in securing Republican support for Bush. In April 1998, he invited Bush to discuss policy issues with experts including Michael Boskin, John Taylor, and Condoleezza Rice. The group, which was "looking for a candidate for 2000 with good political instincts, someone they could work with," was impressed, and Shultz encouraged Bush to enter the race.[1] Due in part to establishment backing, Bush dominated in early polling and fundraising figures. Despite stumbling in early primary debates, he easily won the Iowa caucuses, defeating his nearest opponent, Steve Forbes, by a margin of 41% to 31%.
Considered a dark horse, U.S. Senator John McCain of Arizona won 48% of the vote to Bush's 30% in the first-in-the-nation New Hampshire primary, giving his campaign a boost of energy and donations. Durham, New Hampshire was the site of an early debate between the Republican candidates.
Then, the main primary season came down to a race between Bush and McCain. McCain's campaign, centered on campaign finance reform, drew positive press coverage and a fair amount of public excitement, with polls giving the senator superior crossover support from independents and Democrats. With Vice President Gore easily locking up the Democratic nomination, many moderate and center-left voters felt compelled to make their voice heard in the still-contested Republican contest.[2][3][4] Bush's campaign dealt with "compassionate conservatism," including a greater role for the federal government in education, subsidies for private charitable programs, and large reductions in income and capital gains taxes.
The next primary contest in South Carolina was notorious for its negative tone. Although the Bush campaign said it was not behind any attacks on McCain, locals supporting Bush reportedly handed out fliers and made telephone calls to prospective voters suggesting among other things, unsubstantiated claims that McCain was a "Manchurian candidate" and that he had fathered a child out of wedlock with a black New York-based prostitute (an incorrect reference to Bridget McCain, a child he and his wife had adopted from Bangladesh). Bush also drew fire for a speech made at Bob Jones University, a school that still banned interracial dating among its students.[5] But the governor was seen to have the upper hand in a debate hosted by Larry King Live, and he won in South Carolina by nine points. McCain won primaries in Michigan, his home state of Arizona, and the remaining New England states except for Maine, but faced difficulty in appealing to conservative Republican primary voters. This was particularly true in Michigan, where despite winning the primary, McCain lost the GOP vote to Bush by a wide margin.[6] McCain also competed in the Virginia primary, counting on continued crossover support[7] by giving a speech calling out Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell, both leaders of the Christian right, for intolerance.[8] Bush won Virginia easily in spite of this campaign tactic. Bush's subsequent Super Tuesday victories in California, New York and the South made it nearly impossible, mathematically, for McCain to catch up, and he suspended his campaign the next day.
Other candidates included social conservative activist Gary Bauer, businessman Steve Forbes, Utah Senator Orrin Hatch, former ECOSOC Ambassador and Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs Alan Keyes, former Tennessee Governor Lamar Alexander, former Red Cross director and cabinet member Elizabeth Dole, Ohio Congressman John Kasich, and former Vice President Dan Quayle. Bauer and Hatch campaigned on a traditional Republican platform of opposition to legalized abortion and reductions in taxes. Keyes had a far more conservative platform, calling for the elimination of all federal taxes except tariffs. Keyes also called for returning to ban homosexuals in the military, while most GOP candidates supported the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. Keyes continued participating in the campaign for nearly all the primaries and continued to appear in the debates with frontrunners McCain and Bush. As in 1996, Forbes campaigned on making the federal income tax non-graduated, an idea he called the flat tax, although he increased his focus on social conservatives in 2000. Although Forbes (who won a few states' primary contests in the 1996 primaries) came a close second to Bush in the Iowa caucuses and even tied with him in the Alaska caucuses, he nor any of these other candidates won a primary.
Candidates
Nominee
| Candidate | Most recent office | Home state | Campaign Withdrawal date |
Popular
vote |
Contests won | Running mate | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| George W. Bush | File:GeorgeWBush (1).jpg | Governor of Texas (1995–2000) |
File:Flag-map of Texas.svg Texas |
File:Bush Cheney 2000 campaign logo.svg (Campaign • Positions) Secured nomination: March 14, 2000 |
12,034,676 (62.00%) |
44 | Dick Cheney | File:Secretary of Defense Richard B. Cheney, official portrait (cropped).jpg |
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Withdrew prior to convention
| Candidate | Most recent office | Home state | Campaign Withdrawal date |
Popular vote | Contests won | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alan Keyes | File:Alan Keyes (1).jpg | Asst. Secretary of State (1985–1987) |
File:Flag-map of Maryland.svg Maryland |
File:Alan Keyes 2000 campaign logo.svg
(Campaign) |
985,819 (5.1%) |
0 |
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Withdrew during primaries
| Candidate | Most recent office | Home state | Candidacy | Popular vote | Contests won | Date Campaign Suspended | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John McCain | File:John McCain (1).jpg | U.S. Senator from Arizona (1987–2018) |
File:Flag map of Arizona.svg Arizona |
File:McCain 2000 campaign logo.svg (Campaign) |
6,061,332 (31.23%) |
7 AZ, CT, MA, MI, NH, RI, VT |
March 9, 2000 |
| Steve Forbes | File:Steve Forbes, 2007.jpg | Publisher and editor-in-chief of Forbes magazine (1990–) |
File:Flag-map of New Jersey.svg New Jersey |
File:Forbes2000.gif (Campaign) |
171,860 (0.89%) |
0 | February 10, 2000 |
| Gary Bauer | Former Undersecretary of Education
(1985–1987) |
<.05% | 0 | February 16, 2000 | |||
| Orrin Hatch | U.S. Senator
from Utah (1977–2019) |
File:Orrin Hatch 2000.jpg | <.05% | 0 | January 27, 2000 | ||
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Withdrew before primary elections
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Declined to run
-
John Ashcroft, U.S. Senator from Missouri (ran for reelection)
-
Fred Thompson, U.S. Senator from Tennessee
-
Phil Gramm, U.S. Senator from Texas
-
Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House
-
Bob Dornan, former U.S. Rep from California
-
Harold Stassen, former Governor of Minnesota
-
Bill Weld, former Governor of Massachusetts
-
Donald Trump, New York businessman
-
Oliver North, Political commentator
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National polling
| Source | Date | George W. Bush | John McCain | Steve Forbes | Elizabeth Dole | Dan Quayle | Pat Buchanan | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gallup | Sep. 6–7, 1997 | 22% | – | 9% | – | 10% | 5% | 41%Template:Efn |
| Gallup | May 8–10, 1998 | 30% | 4% | 7% | 14% | 9% | 3% | 19%Template:Efn |
| Gallup | Oct. 23–25, 1998 | 39% | – | 7% | 17% | 12% | – | 16%Template:Efn |
| Gallup | Jan. 8–10, 1999 | 42% | 8% | 5% | 22% | 6% | – | 9%Template:Efn |
| Gallup | Mar. 12–14, 1999 | 52% | 3% | 1% | 20% | 9% | 4% | 7%Template:Efn |
| Gallup | Apr. 13–14, 1999 | 53% | 5% | 6% | 16% | 7% | 4% | 4%Template:Efn |
| Gallup | Apr. 30 – May 2, 1999 | 42% | 4% | 6% | 24% | 6% | 5% | 7%Template:Efn |
| Gallup | May 23–24, 1999 | 46% | 6% | 5% | 18% | 7% | 6% | 7%Template:Efn |
| Gallup | Jun. 4–5, 1999 | 46% | 5% | 5% | 14% | 9% | 6% | 6%Template:Efn |
| Gallup | Jun. 25–27, 1999 | 59% | 5% | 6% | 8% | 6% | 3% | 10%Template:Efn |
| Gallup | Aug. 16–18, 1999 | 61% | 5% | 4% | 13% | 6% | 3% | 4%Template:Efn |
| Gallup | Sep. 10–14, 1999 | 62% | 5% | 5% | 10% | 5% | 3% | 5%Template:Efn |
| Gallup | Oct. 8–10, 1999 | 60% | 8% | 4% | 11% | – | 3% | 13%Template:Efn |
| Gallup | Oct. 21–24, 1999 | 68% | 11% | 8% | – | – | – | 6%Template:Efn |
| Gallup | Nov. 4–7, 1999 | 68% | 12% | 6% | – | – | – | 6%Template:Efn |
| Gallup | Nov. 18–21, 1999 | 63% | 16% | 6% | – | – | – | 9%Template:Efn |
| Gallup | Dec. 9–12, 1999 | 64% | 18% | 7% | – | – | – | 8%Template:Efn |
| Gallup | Dec. 20–21, 1999 | 60% | 17% | 9% | – | – | – | 7%Template:Efn |
| Gallup | Jan. 7–10, 2000 | 63% | 18% | 5% | – | – | – | 5%Template:Efn |
| Gallup | Jan. 13–16, 2000 | 61% | 22% | 5% | – | – | – | 6%Template:Efn |
| Gallup | Jan. 17–19, 2000 | 63% | 19% | 6% | – | – | – | 4%Template:Efn |
| Gallup | Jan. 25–26, 2000 | 65% | 15% | 7% | – | – | – | 6%Template:Efn |
| Gallup | Feb. 4–6, 2000 | 56% | 34% | 2% | – | – | – | 3%Template:Efn |
| Gallup | Feb. 14–15, 2000 | 58% | 31% | – | – | – | – | 3%Template:Efn |
| Gallup | Feb. 20–21, 2000 | 58% | 31% | – | – | – | – | 3%Template:Efn |
| Gallup | Feb. 25–27, 2000 | 57% | 33% | – | – | – | – | 4%Template:Efn |
Results
Statewide
| Date | Pledged delegates | State | George W. Bush | John McCain | Alan Keyes | Steve Forbes | Gary Bauer | Orrin Hatch | Uncommitted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 24 | 0 | Alaska (caucus) | 36.28% | 9.52% | 9.49% | 36.17% | 4.78% | 3.76% | - |
| 25 | Iowa (caucus) | 41.01% (10) |
4.67% (1) |
14.25% (4) |
30.51% (8) |
8.54% (2) |
1.02% | - | |
| February 1 | 17 | New Hampshire (primary) | 30.36% (5) |
48.53% (10) |
6.37% | 12.66% (2) |
0.69% | 0.07% | - |
| February 7–13 | 14 | Hawaii (caucus) | - | - | - | - | - | - | (14) |
| February 8 | 12 | Delaware (primary) | 50.73% (12) |
25.41% | 3.82% | 19.57% | 0.40% | 0.07% | - |
| February 19 | 37 | South Carolina (primary) | 53.39% (34) |
41.87% (3) |
4.54% | 0.08% | 0.11% | 0.01% | - |
| February 22
(88) |
30 | Arizona (primary) | 35.68% | 60.03% (30) |
3.56% | 0.38% | 0.05% | 0.20% | - |
| 58 | Michigan (primary) | 43.05% (6) |
50.97% (52) |
4.62% | 0.38% | 0.21% | 0.07% | 0.68% | |
| Feb 23–Mar 21 (17) |
17 | Nevada (caucus) | - | - | - | - | - | - | (17) |
| February 26
(12) |
4 | American Samoa (caucus) | ?% (4) |
- | - | - | - | - | - |
| 4 | Guam (caucus) | ?% (4) |
- | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4 | Virgin Islands (caucus) | ?% (4) |
- | - | - | - | - | - | |
| February 27 | 14 | Puerto Rico (primary) | 94.21% (14) |
5.29% | 0.05% | 0.23% | 0.04% | – | - |
| February 29
(87) |
56 | Virginia (primary) | 52.79% (56) |
43.89% | 3.07% | 0.12% | 0.13% | – | - |
| 12 | Washington (primary) | 48.26% (7) |
47.98% (5) |
2.53% | 0.62% | 0.34% | 0.27% | - | |
| 19 | North Dakota (caucus) | 75.72% (14) |
18.94% (4) |
5.31% (1) |
– | – | - | 0.03% | |
| March 7
(605) |
162 | California (primary) | 52.21% (162) |
42.87% | 4.10% | 0.35% | 0.25% | 0.22% | - |
| 25 | Connecticut (primary) | 46.28% | 48.74% (25) |
3.30% | 0.69% | 0.21% | 0.10% | 0.67% | |
| 54 | Georgia (primary) | 66.93% (54) |
27.84% | 4.61% | 0.26% | 0.31% | 0.06% | - | |
| 14 | Maine (primary) | 51.03% (14) |
44.00% | 3.09% | 0.47% | 0.34% | - | – | |
| 31 | Maryland (primary) | 56.23% (31) |
36.16% | 6.65% | 0.45% | 0.35% | 0.16% | - | |
| 37 | Massachusetts (primary) | 31.78% | 64.81% (37) |
2.52% | 0.28% | 0.22% | 0.05% | 0.26% | |
| 34 | Minnesota (caucus) | 63% (34) |
17% | 20% | – | – | - | – | |
| 35 | Missouri (primary) | 57.93% (35) |
35.31% | 5.74% | 0.43% | 0.22% | 0.08% | 0.28% | |
| 93 | New York (primary) | 50.30% (67) |
43.50% (26) |
3.60% | 2.60% | – | - | - (8) | |
| 69 | Ohio (primary) | 57.99% (63) |
36.98% (6) |
3.95% | 0.64% | 0.44 | – | - | |
| 14 | Rhode Island (primary) | 36.43% | 60.18% (14) |
2.55% | 0.25% | 0.10% | 0.10% | 0.32% | |
| 12 | Vermont (primary) | 35.33% | 60.29% (12) |
2.66% | 0.76% | 0.36% | – | - | |
| 25 | Washington (caucus) | 82.15% (25) |
12.88% | 4.97% | – | – | - | – | |
| March 10
(91) |
22 | Wyoming (caucus) | 77.62% (21) |
10.29% (1) |
11.66% | – | – | - | – |
| 40 | Colorado (primary) | 64.71% (28) |
27.12% (12) |
6.57% | 0.66% | 0.66% | 0.28% | - | |
| 29 | Utah (primary) | 63.28% (29) |
14.04% | 21.27% | 0.94% | 0.47% | - | – | |
| March 14
(341) |
80 | Florida (primary) | 73.80% (80) |
19.94% | 4.63% | 0.94% | 0.50% | 0.20% | - |
| 29 | Louisiana (primary) | 83.60% (29) |
8.91% | 5.73% | 1.01% | 0.75% | - | – | |
| 33 | Mississippi (primary) | 88% (33) |
5.45% | 5.63% | 0.51% | 0.41% | 0.12% | - | |
| 38 | Oklahoma (primary) | 79.15% (38) |
10.39% | 9.29% | 0.85% | 0.32% | – | - | |
| 37 | Tennessee (primary) | 77.02% (37) |
14.53% | 6.75% | 0.41 | 0.52% | 0.10% | 0.63% | |
| 124 | Texas (primary) | 87.54% (124) |
7.11% | 3.86% | 0.25% | 0.19% | 0.12% | 0.85% | |
| March 21 | 64 | Illinois (primary) | 67.40% (64) |
21.54% | 8.97% | 1.40% | 0.69% | – | - (10) |
| April 4
(115) |
78 | Pennsylvania (primary) | 72.47% (78) |
22.36% | 1.09% | 2.48% | 1.35% | – | - |
| 37 | Wisconsin (primary) | 69.24% (37) |
18.09% | 9.87% | 1.11% | 0.37% | 0.35% | 0.70% | |
| May 2 (107) |
30 | Indiana (primary) | 81.17% (30) |
18.83% | – | – | – | - | - (25) |
| 62 | North Carolina (primary) | 78.60% (49) |
10.86% (7) |
7.85% (5) |
– | 1.03% (1) |
- | 1.67% | |
| 15 | Washington, D.C. (primary) | 72.79% (15) |
24.37% | – | – | – | – | ||
| May 9 (48) |
30 | Nebraska (primary) | 78.15% (30) |
15.11% | 6.50% | – | – | - | – |
| 18 | West Virginia (primary) | 79.57% (18) |
12.91% | 4.76% | 1.58% | 1.18% | – | - | |
| May 16 | 24 | Oregon (primary) | 83.62% (21) |
– | 13.37% (3) |
– | – | - | – |
| May 23
(112) |
24 | Arkansas (primary) | 80.23% (19) |
– | 19.77% (5) |
– | – | - | – |
| 22 | Idaho (primary) | 73.45% (16) |
– | 19.10% (4) |
– | – | - | 7.45% (8) | |
| 31 | Kentucky (primary) | 82.98% (31) |
6.33% | 4.75% | 1.30% | 2.64% | – | 2.00% | |
| 35 | Kansas (caucus) | ?% (35) |
?% | ?% | ?% | ?% | – | ||
| June 6
(164) |
44 | Alabama (primary) | 84.24% (44) |
– | 11.52% | – | – | - | 4.24% |
| 23 | Montana (primary) | 77.59% (23) |
– | 18.32% | – | – | - | 4.10% | |
| 54 | New Jersey (primary) | 83.56% (54) |
16.44% | – | – | – | - | – | |
| 21 | New Mexico (primary) | 82.63% (21) |
10.13% | 6.45% | – | – | - | 0.80% | |
| 22 | South Dakota (primary) | 78.22% (22) |
13.75% | 7.68% | – | – | – |
Nationwide
-
Results by county, shaded according to winning candidate's percentage of the vote
Popular vote result:[11]
- George W. Bush – 12,034,676 (62.00%)
- John McCain – 6,061,332 (31.23%)
- Alan Keyes – 985,819 (5.08%)
- Steve Forbes – 171,860 (0.89%)
- Unpledged delegates – 61,246 (0.32%)
- Gary Bauer – 60,709 (0.31%)
- Orrin Hatch – 15,958 (0.08%)
Notable endorsements
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George W. Bush
- Bush's Father & Former President George H.W. Bush from Texas
- Bush's Mother & Former First Lady Barbra Bush from Texas
- Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott from Mississippi[12]
- Former HUD Secretary and 1996 Vice Presidential nominee Jack Kemp from New York[13]
- Senator Bob Smith from New Hampshire[14]
- Former Governor and White House Chief of Staff John H. Sununu of New Hampshire[14]
- Governor Jane Dee Hull of Arizona[15][16]
- Governor John Engler of Michigan
- Senator John Warner from Virginia[17]
- Governor Jim Gilmore of Virginia[17]
- Senator John Ashcroft from Missouri[18]
- Governor Paul Cellucci of Massachusetts[19]
- Governor Tommy Thompson of Wisconsin[20]
- Representative John Thune from South Dakota[21]
John McCain
- Senator Jon Kyl from Arizona[16]
- Senator Fred Thompson of Tennessee[22]
- Senator Mike DeWine from Ohio[23]
- Senator Chuck Hagel from Nebraska[24]
- Representative Lindsey Graham from South Carolina[25]
- Representative Mark Sanford from South Carolina[25]
- Representative Peter T. King from New York[26]
- Staten Island Borough President Guy Molinari[27]
Steve Forbes
- Governor Gary Johnson of New Mexico[28]
- Representative Bob Barr from Georgia[29]
- Representative Roscoe Bartlett from Maryland[30]
- Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell[31]
- Sarah Palin, mayor of Wasilla, Alaska[32]
Alan Keyes
- Representative Tom Coburn from Oklahoma[33]
- Filmmaker Michael Moore from Michigan (joke endorsement)[34]
Orrin Hatch
- Senator Robert Foster Bennett from Utah[13]
Lamar Alexander
- Governor Mike Huckabee of Arkansas[13]
- Former Governor Terry Branstad of Iowa[13]
Dan Quayle
- Former Governor Carroll A. Campbell of South Carolina[13]
John Kasich
- Mike DeWine (initially)[13]
- Senator George Voinovich from Ohio[13]
- Representative John Boehner from Ohio[13]
See also
References
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- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ THE 2000 CAMPAIGN: CROSSOVER VOTERS; Democrats Drawn to McCain Are Unsettling Republicans
- ↑ Democrats helped McCain over finish line in 2000 Michigan GOP primary
- ↑ Stuart Rothenberg: Can Democrats and independents nominate John McCain?
- ↑ Cornell University Law School, "Bob Jones Uni v. v. United States", "Legal Information Institute". Retrieved February 9, 2017
- ↑ THE 2000 CAMPAIGN: MICHIGAN; Loss by Bush Forces Debate on Open Primaries. The New York Times. 27 February 2000. Retrieved 2017-06-03.
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- ↑ 2000 Republican Primary Election Events Timeline
- ↑ "US President – R Primaries Race", Our Campaigns, February 1, 2000. Retrieved February 28, 2011
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