United States presidential election in Missouri, 2000

United States presidential election in Missouri, 2000

November 7, 2000

Nominee George W. Bush Al Gore Party Republican Democratic Home state Texas Tennessee Running mate Dick Cheney Joe Lieberman Electoral vote 11 0 Popular vote 1,189,924 1,111,138 Percentage 50.4% 47.1%

County Results Bush   40-50%   50-60%   60-70%   70-80% Gore   40-50%   50-60%   80-90%

President before election Bill Clinton Democratic Elected President George W. Bush Republican

Elections in Missouri
Federal government Presidential elections 1820 1824 1828 1832 1836 1840 1844 1848 1852 1856 1860 1864 1868 1872 1876 1880 1884 1888 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 Missouri bellwether Presidential primaries Democratic 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 Republican 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 U.S. Senate elections 1934 1940 1986 1988 1992 1994 1998 2000 2004 2006 2010 2012 2016 2018 U.S. House elections 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 Special elections Senate, 2002 8th district, 2013
State government Gubernatorial elections 1820 1824 1825 (special) 1828 1832 1836 1840 1844 1848 1852 1856 1857 (special) 1860 1864 1868 1870 1872 1874 1876 1880 1884 1888 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 Lieutenant gubernatorial elections 2004 2008 2012 2016 Attorney General elections 2012 2016 State Auditor elections 2010 2014 2018 State Treasurer elections 2012 2016 Secretary of State elections 2012 2016 Missouri Senate elections 2010 Missouri House elections 2010
Ballot measures 2004 Amendment 2 2006 Amendment 2
Kansas City Mayoral elections 2015 2019
St. Louis Mayoral elections 2017

As part of the 2000 United States presidential election the state of Missouri chose 11 electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

Missouri was a critical swing state.^[1] George W. Bush won the popular vote by a margin of just over 3% against his Democratic challenger, Al Gore. President Bush mored than doubled his 2000 election margin of victory in 2004 over his subsequent challenger, John Kerry. The 2000 election was seen as the turning point of Missouri’s bellwether status, which the state had maintained throughout most of the 20th century.

Like Clinton, Gore was a Southern Democrat from a neighboring state of Missouri—Arkansas and Tennessee, respectively—and was widely seen as competitive in the state.^[2]

As of the 2016 presidential election, no Democratic presidential candidate has won Missouri since 1996, despite Al Gore (as vice president), and Hillary Clinton (as First Lady) both being important officials in the Clinton Administration. (Later Democratic nominees John Kerry and Barack Obama were not involved in the Clinton Administration).

As of the 2016 presidential election, this is the last time that Saline County, New Madrid County, Pemiscot County, Mississippi County, Ray County, and Clay County voted for the Democratic presidential candidate.

Primaries

• Missouri Democratic primary, 2000
• Missouri Republican primary, 2000

Results

Electors

Technically the voters of Missouri cast their ballots for electors: representatives to the Electoral College. Missouri is allocated 11 electors because it has 9 congressional districts and 2 senators. All candidates who appear on the ballot or qualify to receive write-in votes must submit a list of 11 electors, who pledge to vote for their candidate and his or her running mate. Whoever wins the majority of votes in the state is awarded all 11 electoral votes. Their chosen electors then vote for president and vice president. Although electors are pledged to their candidate and running mate, they are not obligated to vote for them. An elector who votes for someone other than his or her candidate is known as a faithless elector.

The electors of each state and the District of Columbia met on December 18, 2000^[4] to cast their votes for president and vice president. The Electoral College itself never meets as one body. Instead the electors from each state and the District of Columbia met in their respective capitols.

The following were the members of the Electoral College from the state. All were pledged to and voted for George W. Bush and Dick Cheney:^[5]

1. David Barklage
2. Bruce Bredeman
3. Marc Ellinger
4. Gordon Elliott
5. John Hancock
6. Stan Horacek
7. Homer Johnson
8. John Judd
9. Michael Kort
10. Dennis Owens
11. Al Rotskoff

Missouri Bellwether

Beginning with the 2000 election, the status of the Missouri bellwether came into question. Between 1904 and 2004, Missouri was carried by the victor of each presidential election, with the exception of 1956. Though Bush won the presidency in the 2000 election through the Electoral College, he lost the national popular vote. The 2000 election was unique because this was the first time in over a century where the popular vote winner lost the general election. (In 1888, Missouri voted for Grover Cleveland, the incumbent Democrat, who lost to Republican candidate Benjamin Harrison). Thus, controversy exists as to whether or not Missouri accurately predicted victor in this election. In the subsequent election, Missouri voted for George W. Bush, who this time won both the popular vote and the Electoral College. Missouri has voted reliably Republican since 2000. The state voted for John McCain in 2008, and for Mitt Romney in 2012, both of whom lost the general election to Barack Obama. The controversy is further complicated by the 2016 presidential election, where Missouri voted for Donald Trump by a landslide, while Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by nearly three million votes, but like in 2000, Trump won the Electoral College and became 45th President of the United States. Like 2000, political scientists have differing opinions on whether or not Missouri accurately predicted the victor, and even if Missouri is still a bellwether state at all.

References

See also