2000 Democratic Party vice presidential candidate selection

This article lists those who were potential candidates for the Democratic nomination for Vice President of the United States in the 2000 election. Incumbent Vice President Al Gore won the 2000 Democratic nomination for President of the United States, and chose Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman as his running mate on August 7, 2000. Lieberman, a centrist two-term Democratic senator, was chosen for being "tough on defense" and foreign policy issues. Lieberman was the first Jewish nominee chosen for a national ticket. The choice of Lieberman was announced shortly before the 2000 Democratic National Convention. Former Secretary of State Warren Christopher led the vetting process. The Gore–Lieberman ticket ultimately lost to the Bush–Cheney ticket in the general election. Coincidental to the presidential election, Lieberman was re-elected to a third term as senator from Connecticut and subsequently changed his party affiliation to Independent in 2006.

2000 Democratic vice presidential nomination

← 1992 August 7, 2000 (2000-08-07) 2004 →

Nominee Joe Lieberman Home state Connecticut

Previous Vice Presidential nominee Al Gore Vice Presidential nominee Joe Lieberman

Selection

Shortlist

• Senator
  Evan Bayh
  from Indiana
  (1999–2011)
• Senator
  John Edwards
  from North Carolina
  (1999–2005)
• Representative
  Dick Gephardt
  from Missouri
  (1977–2005)
• Senator
  John Kerry
  from Massachusetts
  (1985–2013)
• Senator
  Joe Lieberman
  from Connecticut
  (1989–2013)
• Governor
  Jeanne Shaheen
  from New Hampshire
  (1997–2003)

Announcement

In August 2000, Gore announced that he had selected Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut as his vice presidential running mate. Lieberman became the first person of the Jewish faith to appear on a major party's presidential ticket (Barry Goldwater, the Republican presidential nominee in 1964, was of Jewish descent but identified as an Episcopalian). Lieberman, who was a more conservative Democrat than Gore, had publicly blasted President Clinton for the Monica Lewinsky affair. Many pundits saw Gore's choice of Lieberman as another way of trying to distance himself from the scandals of the Clinton White House.

Media speculation on possible vice presidential candidates

Members of Congress

• Senator
  Barbara Boxer
  from California
  (1993–2017)
• Former Senator and 2000 presidential candidate
  Bill Bradley
  from New Jersey
  (1979–1997)
• Senator
  Dick Durbin
  from Illinois
  (1997–present)
• Senator
  Dianne Feinstein
  from California
  (1992–2023)
• Senator
  Bob Graham
  from Florida
  (1987–2005)
• Senator and 1992 presidential candidate
  Tom Harkin
  from Iowa
  (1985–2015)
• Senator and 1992 presidential candidate
  Bob Kerrey
  from Nebraska
  (1989–2001)
• Representative
  Bob Menendez
  from New Jersey
  (1992–2006)
• Senator
  Zell Miller
  from Georgia
  (2000–2005)
• Senator
  Barbara Mikulski
  from Maryland
  (1987–2017)
• Former Senator
  George J. Mitchell
  from Maine
  (1980–1995)
• Former Senator
  Sam Nunn
  from Georgia
  (1972–1997)

Governors

• Governor
  Gray Davis
  from California
  (1999–2003)
• Governor
  Jim Hunt
  from North Carolina
  (1977–1985;1993–2001)

Federal executive branch officials

• Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
  Andrew Cuomo
  from New York
  (1997–2001)
• Secretary of Energy
  Bill Richardson
  from New Mexico
  (1998–2001)
• Former Secretary of the Treasury
  Robert Rubin
  from New York
  (1995–1999)
• Republican Secretary of Defense
  William Cohen
  from Maine
  (1997–2001)

Others

• Lieutenant Governor
  Kathleen Kennedy Townsend
  from Maryland
  (1995–2003)

See also

• Al Gore 2000 presidential campaign
• 2000 Democratic Party presidential primaries
• 2000 Democratic National Convention
• 2000 United States presidential election
• List of United States major party presidential tickets