US presidential primaries, 2000

• US History
• Political Science
  • U.S. presidential election, 2000

Democratic Primary

There were two main candidates for the Democrat nomination: Former New Jersey Senator Bill Bradley[?] and Al Gore.

Republican Primary

The Republican Party primary came down to a race between Bush and Arizona Senator John McCain. McCain's campaign, centered on Campaign finance reform, drew the most press coverage and the greatest popular excitement. Many Republicans complained that Democrats and other non-Republicans enrolled in the party for the express purpose of voting for McCain, thus skewing the results. Bush's campaign focused on compassionate conservatism, including a greater role for the federal government in funding education and large reductions in the income and capital gains tax rates.

McCain won 48% of the vote to Bush's 30% in the New Hampshire primary, the first primary held, giving his campaign a great boost of energy, volunteers, and donations.

Bauer and Hatch campaigned on a traditional Republican platform of opposition to legalized abortion and reductions in U.S. taxes[?]. Keyes had a far more conservative platform, calling for the elimination of all federal taxes except tariffs. Steve Forbes campaigned on making the federal income tax non-graduated, an idea he called the flat tax. Other candidates included: political activist Gary Bauer[?], businessman Steve Forbes[?], Utah Senator Orrin Hatch, minister Alan Keyes[?], former Tennessee Governor Lamar Alexander[?], former Red Cross director Elizabeth Dole, Ohio Congressman John Kasich[?], and former Vice President Dan Quayle.