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.
January 24 to June 6, 2000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2,066 delegates (1,861 pledged and 205 unpledged) to the Republican National Convention 1,034 (majority) votes needed to win | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Republican primary results. Red denotes a Bush win. Yellow denotes a McCain win. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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. 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. 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. 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. McCain also competed in the Virginia primary, counting on continued crossover support by giving a speech calling out Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell, both leaders of the Christian right, for intolerance. 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 | Governor of Texas (1995–2000) | Texas | (Campaign • Positions) Secured nomination: March 14, 2000 | 12,034,676 (62.00%) | 44 | Dick Cheney | |||
Withdrew prior to convention
| Candidate | Most recent office | Home state | Campaign Withdrawal date | Popular vote | Contests won | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alan Keyes | Asst. Secretary of State (1985–1987) | Maryland | (Campaign) | 985,819 (5.1%) | 0 | |
Withdrew during primaries
| Candidate | Most recent office | Home state | Candidacy | Popular vote | Contests won | Date Campaign Suspended | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John McCain | U.S. Senator from Arizona (1987–2018) | Arizona | (Campaign) | 6,061,332 (31.23%) | 7 AZ, CT, MA, MI, NH, RI, VT | March 9, 2000 | |
| Steve Forbes | Publisher and editor-in-chief of Forbes magazine (1990–) | New Jersey | (Campaign) | 171,860 (0.89%) | 0 | February 10, 2000 | |
| Gary Bauer | Former Undersecretary of Education (1985–1987) | Kentucky | <.05% | 0 | February 16, 2000 | ||
| Orrin Hatch | U.S. Senator from Utah (1977–2019) | Utah | <.05% | 0 | January 27, 2000 | ||
- Fred Thompson, U.S. Senator from Tennessee
- Phil Gramm, U.S. Senator from Texas
- Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House
- Jack Kemp, Former U.S. Rep. from New York and 1996 Vice-Presidential nominee
- Ron Paul, U.S. Rep. from Texas
- Bob Dornan, former U.S. Rep from California
- Pete Wilson, Governor of California
- George Pataki, Governor of New York
- Christine Todd Whitman, Governor of New Jersey
- Tommy Thompson, Governor of Wisconsin
- Harold Stassen, former Governor of Minnesota
- Bill Weld, former Governor of Massachusetts
- John Engler, Governor of Michigan
- Colin Powell, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
- William Bennett, former U.S. Secretary of Education
- Rudy Giuliani, Mayor of New York City (ran for Senate in NY)
- Donald Trump, New York businessman
- Oliver North, Political commentator
- 9% for Jack Kemp, 6% for Newt Gingrich, 2% for Lamar Alexander, and 1% each for Gary Bauer and John Kasich.
- 4% each for John Ashcroft, Newt Gingrich, John Kasich, and Lamar Alexander.
- 4% for Lamar Alexander, 2% each for Gary Bauer and John Kasich and 1% for Bob Smith.
- 3% for John Kasich, 2% for Lamar Alexander, and 1% each for Gary Bauer and Bob Smith.
- 2% each for Gary Bauer and John Kasich.
- 3% each for Lamar Alexander and Gary Bauer and 1% for John Kasich.
- 2% each for Gary Bauer, John Kasich, and Bob Smith, and 1% for Lamar Alexander.
- 3% for Lamar Alexander and 1% each for Gary Bauer, John Kasich, and Bob Smith.
- 3% for John Kasich, 2% each for Gary Bauer, Lamar Alexander, and Orrin Hatch, and 1% for Bob Smith.
- 2% for Gary Bauer and 1% each for Orrin Hatch and Alan Keyes.
- 2% each for Gary Bauer and Orrin Hatch and 1% for Alan Keyes.
- 5% for John Ashcroft, 3% each for Gary Bauer and Alan Keyes, and 2% for Orrin Hatch.
- 3% for Orrin Hatch, 2% for Alan Keyes, and 1% for Gary Bauer
- 2% each for Gary Bauer, Orrin Hatch, and Alan Keyes.
- 4% for Orrin Hatch, 3% for Gary Bauer, and 2% for Alan Keyes.
- 4% for Alan Keyes and 2% each for Gary Bauer and Orrin Hatch.
- 4% for Alan Keyes, 2% for Gary Bauer, and 1% for Orrin Hatch.
- 2% each for Orrin Hatch and Alan Keyes and 1% for Gary Bauer.
- 3% for Alan Keyes, 2% for Gary Bauer, and 1% for Orrin Hatch.
- 2% for Gary Bauer and 1% each for Orrin Hatch and Alan Keyes.
- 4% for Alan Keyes and 2% for Gary Bauer.
- 3% for Alan Keyes.
- 3% for Alan Keyes.
- 3% for Alan Keyes.
- 4% for Alan Keyes.
Results
Statewide
| Date | Pledged delegates | State | George W. Bush | John McCain | Alan Keyes | Steve Forbes | Gary Bauer | Orrin Hatch | Uncommitted/Others |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 24 | 0 | Alaska (caucus) | 1,571 36.28% | 412 9.52% | 411 9.49% | 1,566 36.17% | 207 4.78% | 163 3.76% | - |
| 0 | Iowa (caucus) | 35,384 41.01% | 4,053 4.67% | 12,329 14.25% | 26,338 30.51% | 7,367 8.54% | 888 1.02% | - | |
| February 1 | 17 | New Hampshire (primary) | 72,330 30.36% 5 Del. | 115,606 48.53% | 15,179 6.37% | 30,166 12.66% | 1,640 0.69% | 163 0.07% | 3,122 1.31% |
| February 7 – 13 | 0 | Hawaii (caucus) | - | - | - | - | - | - | ~800 (100.00%) |
| February 8 | 12 | Delaware (primary) | 15,250 50.73% | 7,638 25.41% | 1,148 3.82% | 5,883 19.57% | 120 0.40% | 21 0.07% | - |
| February 19 | 37 | South Carolina (primary) | 305,998 53.39% | 239,964 41.87% | 25,996 4.54% | 449 0.08% | 618 0.11% | 76 0.01% | - |
| February 22 (88) | 30 | Arizona (primary) | 115,115 35.68% | 193,708 60.03% | 11,500 3.56% | 1,211 0.38% | 177 0.05% | 637 0.20% | 322 (0.10%) |
| 58 | Michigan (primary) | 549,665 43.05% | 605,805 50.97% | 59,036 4.62% | 4,894 0.38% | 2,733 0.21% | 905 0.07% | 8,736 0.68% | |
| Feb 23 –Mar 21 | 0 | Nevada (caucus) | - | - | - | - | - | - | ? ?% |
| February 26 | 4 | American Samoa (caucus) | ? ?% | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 4 | Guam (caucus) | ? ?% | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4 | Virgin Islands (caucus) | ? ?% | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| February 27 | 14 | Puerto Rico (primary) | 87,375 94.21% | 4,903 5.29% | 49 0.05% | 210 0.23% | 34 0.04% | – | 178 0.19% |
| February 29 | 56 | Virginia (primary) | 350,588 52.79% | 291,488 43.89% | 20,356 3.07% | 809 0.12% | 852 0.13% | – | - |
| 12 | Washington (primary) | 284,053 57.84% | 191,101 38.91% | 11,753 2.39% | 1,749 0.36% | 1,469 0.30% | 1,023 0.21% | - | |
| 19 | North Dakota (caucus) | 6,865 75.72% 14 Del. | 1,717 18.94% 4 Del. | 481 5.31% 1 Del. | – | – | - | 3 0.03% | |
| March 7 | 162 | California (primary) | 1,725,162 60.58% | 988,706 34.72% | 112,747 3.96% | 8,449 0.30% | 6,860 0.24% | 5,997 0.21% | - |
| 25 | Connecticut (primary) | 82,881 46.28% | 87,176 48.74% | 5,913 3.30% | 1,242 0.69% | 373 0.21% | 178 0.10% | 1,222 0.67% | |
| 54 | Georgia (primary) | 430,480 66.93% | 179,046 27.84% | 29,640 4.61% | 1,647 0.26% | 1,962 0.31% | 413 0.06% | - | |
| 14 | Maine (primary) | 49,308 51.03% | 42,510 44.00% | 2,989 3.09% | 455 0.47% | 324 0.34% | - | 1,038 1.07% | |
| 31 | Maryland (primary) | 211,439 56.23% | 135,981 36.16% | 25,020 6.65% | 1,678 0.45% | 1,328 0.35% | 588 0.16% | - | |
| 37 | Massachusetts (primary) | 159,534 31.78% | 324,708 64.69% | 12,630 2.52% | 1,407 0.28% | 1,744 0.35% | 262 0.05% | 1,658 0.33% | |
| 0 | Minnesota (caucus) | 11,531 62.67% | 3,209 17.44% | 3,661 19.90% | – | – | - | – | |
| 35 | Missouri (primary) | 275,366 57.93% | 167,831 35.31% | 27,282 5.74% | 2,044 0.43% | 1,038 0.22% | 363 0.08% | 1,439 0.28% | |
| 93 | New York (primary) | 1,102,850 50.30% | 937,655 43.50% | 71,196 3.60% | 49,817 2.60% | – | - | - | |
| 69 | Ohio (primary) | 810,369 57.99% | 516,790 36.98% | 55,266 3.95% | 8,934 0.64% | 6,169 0.44% | – | - | |
| 14 | Rhode Island (primary) | 13,170 36.43% | 21,754 60.18% | 923 2.55% | 89 0.25% | 35 0.10% | 35 0.10% | 114 0.32% | |
| 12 | Vermont (primary) | 28,741 35.33% | 49,045 60.29% | 2,164 2.66% | 616 0.76% | 293 0.36% | – | 496 0.61% | |
| 18 | Washington (caucus) | 1,256 82.15% 18 Del. | 197 12.88% | 76 4.97% | – | – | - | – | |
| March 10 | 12 | Wyoming (county conventions) | 77.62% | 10.29% | 11.66% | – | – | - | - 12 Del. |
| 40 | Colorado (primary) | 116,897 64.71% | 48,996 27.12% | 11,871 6.57% | 1,197 0.66% | 1,190 0.66% | 504 0.28% | - | |
| 29 | Utah (primary) | 57,617 63.28% | 12,784 14.04% | 19,367 21.27% | 859 0.94% | 426 0.47% | - | – | |
| March 14 | 80 | Florida (primary) | 516,161 73.80% | 139,397 19.94% | 32,343 4.63% | 6,522 0.94% | 3,493 0.50% | 1,371` 0.20% | - |
| 29 | Louisiana (primary) | 86,038 83.60% | 9,166 8.91% | 5,900 5.73% | 1,041 1.01% | 768 0.75% | - | – | |
| 33 | Mississippi (primary) | 101,042 87.88% | 6,263 5.45% | 6,478 5.63% | 588 0.51% | 475 0.41% | 133 0.12% | - | |
| 38 | Oklahoma (primary) | 98,781 79.15% | 12,973 10.39% | 11,595 9.29% | 1,066 0.85% | 394 0.32% | – | - | |
| 37 | Tennessee (primary) | 193,166 77.02% | 36,436 14.53% | 16,916 6.75% | 1,018 0.41% | 1,305 0.52% | 252 0.10% | 0.68% | |
| 124 | Texas (primary) | 986,416 87.54% | 80,082 7.11% | 43,516 3.86% | 2,865 0.25% | 2,189 0.19% | 1,329 0.12% | 10,363 0.92% | |
| March 21 | 64 | Illinois (primary) | 496,646 67.40% | 158,752 21.54% | 66,057 8.97% | 10,334 1.40% | 5,068 0.69% | – | - |
| April 4 | 68 | Pennsylvania (primary) | 472,398 72.46% | 145,719 22.66% | - | 16,162 2.51% | 8,806 1.35% | – | - 68 Del. |
| 37 | Wisconsin (primary) | 343,292 69.24% | 89,684 18.09% | 48,919 9.87% | 5,505 1.11% | 1,813 0.37% | 1,712 0.35% | 1,392 0.98% | |
| April 29 - May 13 | 24 | Minnesota (district conventions) | 24 Del. | ||||||
| May 2 | 30 | Indiana (primary) | 330,095 81.17% | 76,569 18.83% | – | – | – | - | - |
| 62 | North Carolina (primary) | 253,485 78.60% | 35,018 10.86% | 25,320 7.85% | – | 3,311 1.03% | - | 3,583 1.67% | |
| 15 | Washington, D.C. (primary) | 1,771 72.79% | 593 24.37% | – | – | – | - | 69 2.84% | |
| May 5 | 14 | Hawaii (state convention) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 14 Del. |
| May 6 | 10 | Wyoming (state convention) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 10 Del. |
| May 9 | 9 | Nebraska (primary) | 145,176 78.15% | 28,065 15.11% | 12,073 6.50% | – | – | - | 444 0.24% |
| 18 | West Virginia (primary) | 87,050 79.57% | 14,121 12.91% | 5,210 4.76% | 1,733 1.58% | 1,290 1.18% | – | - | |
| May 16 | 24 | Oregon (primary) | 292,522 83.62% | – | 46,754 13.37% | – | – | - | 10,545 3.01% |
| May 19 | 23 | Alaska (state convention) | 19 Del. | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 10 | Pennsylvania (state convention) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 10 Del. | |
| May 20 - June 3 | 18 | Kentucky (congressional district conventions) | 18 Del. | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| May 23 | 24 | Arkansas (primary) | 35,759 80.23% | 8,814 19.77% | – | – | - | – | |
| 22 | Idaho (primary) | 116,385 73.45% | – | 30,263 19.10% 4 Del. | – | – | - | 11,798 7.45% | |
| 0 | Kentucky (primary) | 75,783 82.98% | 5,780 6.33% | 4,337 4.75% | 1,829 1.30% | 2,408 2.64% | – | 1,186 1.00% | |
| May 25 | 35 | Kansas (state convention) | 35 Del. | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 17 | Nevada (state convention) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 17 Del. | |
| May 30 | 8 | New York (state convention) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8 Del. |
| June 6 | 44 | Alabama (primary) | 171,077 84.24% | – | 23,394 11.52% | – | – | - | 8,606 4.24% |
| 25 | Indiana (state convention) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 25 Del. | |
| 23 | Montana (primary) | 89,122 77.59% | – | 20,822 18.32% | – | – | - | 4,655 4.10% | |
| 54 | New Jersey (primary) | 201,209 83.56% | 39,601 16.44% | – | – | – | - | – | |
| 21 | New Mexico (primary) | 62,161 82.63% | 7,619 10.13% | 4,850 6.45% | – | – | - | 600 0.80% | |
| 22 | South Dakota (primary) | 35,418 78.22% | 6,228 13.75% | 3,478 7.68% | – | – | - | 155 0.34% | |
| June 9 | 10 | Minnesota (state convention) | 10 Del. | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| June 9 - 10 | 25 | Iowa (state convention) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 25 Del. |
| June 10 | 13 | Kentucky (state convention) | 13 Del. | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| June 16 - 17 | 10 | Illinois (state convention) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 10 Del. |
| 7 | Washington (state convention) | 7 Del. | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| June 23 - 24 | 6 | Idaho (state convention) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6 Del. |
| Total 2,066 pledged delegates 19,519,539 votes | 1,601 | 243 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 205 | ||
Nationwide
Popular vote result:
- 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
Note: Some of the endorsers switched positions.
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
- Former HUD Secretary and 1996 Vice Presidential nominee Jack Kemp from New York
- Senator Bob Smith from New Hampshire
- Former Governor and White House Chief of Staff John H. Sununu of New Hampshire
- Governor Jane Dee Hull of Arizona
- Governor John Engler of Michigan
- Senator John Warner from Virginia
- Governor Jim Gilmore of Virginia
- Senator John Ashcroft from Missouri
- Governor Paul Cellucci of Massachusetts
- Governor Tommy Thompson of Wisconsin
- Representative John Thune from South Dakota
John McCain
- Senator Jon Kyl from Arizona
- Senator Fred Thompson of Tennessee
- Senator Mike DeWine from Ohio
- Senator Chuck Hagel from Nebraska
- Representative Lindsey Graham from South Carolina
- Representative Mark Sanford from South Carolina
- Representative Peter T. King from New York
- Staten Island Borough President Guy Molinari
Steve Forbes
- Governor Gary Johnson of New Mexico
- Representative Bob Barr from Georgia
- Representative Roscoe Bartlett from Maryland
- Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell
- Sarah Palin, mayor of Wasilla, Alaska
Alan Keyes
- Representative Tom Coburn from Oklahoma
- Filmmaker Michael Moore from Michigan (joke endorsement)
Orrin Hatch
- Senator Robert Foster Bennett from Utah
Lamar Alexander
- Governor Mike Huckabee of Arkansas
- Former Governor Terry Branstad of Iowa
Dan Quayle
- Former Governor Carroll A. Campbell of South Carolina
John Kasich
- Mike DeWine (initially)
- Senator George Voinovich from Ohio
- Representative John Boehner from Ohio
See also
wikipedia, wiki, encyclopedia, book, library, article, read, free download, Information about 2000 Republican Party presidential primaries, What is 2000 Republican Party presidential primaries? What does 2000 Republican Party presidential primaries mean?