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Main article: 2000 United States presidential election
2000 United States presidential election in New Jersey
←  1996 November 7, 2000 2004 →
 
Nominee Al Gore George W. Bush
Party Democratic Republican
Home state Tennessee Texas
Running mate Joe Lieberman Dick Cheney
Electoral vote 15 0
Popular vote 1,788,850 1,284,173
Percentage 56.13% 40.29%
County Results
President before election

Bill Clinton
Democratic

Elected President

George W. Bush
Republican

Elections in New Jersey
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Mayoral elections

In 2000, the United States presidential election in New Jersey, along with every U.S. state and Washington, D.C., took place on November 7, 2000 as part of the 2000 United States presidential election. The major party candidates were Democratic Vice President Al Gore of the incumbent administration and Republican Governor of Texas George W. Bush, son of the 41st U.S. president, George H. W. Bush. Owing to the indirect system of voting used in U.S. presidential elections, George W. Bush narrowly defeated Gore in Electoral College votes despite that Gore earned a higher percentage of the popular vote. Green Party candidate Ralph Nader, the only third-party candidate represented on most states' ballots, came in a distant third.

Although New Jersey had voted for Democrat Bill Clinton in the past two elections ( 1992 and 1996), [1] it was considered a potential swing state in 2000 because pre-election polling data showed it to be a close race. [2] [3] Al Gore won 56 percent of New Jersey’s popular vote, beating out George W. Bush by about a sixteen-point margin, with Gore's biggest margins of victory in Essex County and Hudson County where he won over seventy percent of the vote. Bush won 7 counties with his biggest margins being just over 57 percent in Hunterdon County and Sussex County. Nader got over four percent of the vote in several counties in the northwest of the state, while taking just under three percent statewide. [4] This was also the first presidential election since 1976, in which New Jersey would back the losing candidate as well. As of the 2020 presidential election, this is the last election in which Monmouth County voted for a Democratic presidential candidate. [5]

Bush became the first Republican to win the White House without carrying Bergen County, Burlington County, or Monmouth County, as well as the state of New Jersey since Benjamin Harrison in 1888. Bush became the first Republican to win without Union County since James A. Garfield in 1880. Bush was the first Republican to ever win the Presidency without Passaic and Gloucester counties, and the only Republican to ever win without Salem County.

New Jersey was 1 of 10 states to back George H. W. Bush in 1988 that George W. Bush failed to carry in either of his presidential wins.

General Election

Polling

Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size 		Margin of
error 		Al
Gore (D) 		George W.
Bush (R) 		Ralph
Nader (G) 		Patrick
Buchanan (Ref) 		Undecided
The New York Times October 12–15, 2000 908 RV ± 3% 49% 34% 8% 1% 8%

Results

2000 United States presidential election in New Jersey [6]
Party Candidate Votes Percentage Electoral votes
Democratic Al Gore 1,788,850 56.13% 15
Republican George W. Bush 1,284,173 40.29% 0
Green Ralph Nader 94,554 2.97% 0
Reform Pat Buchanan 6,989 0.22% 0
Libertarian Harry Browne 6,312 0.20% 0
Natural Law John Hagelin 2,215 0.07% 0
Socialist David McReynolds 1,880 0.06% 0
Constitution Howard Phillips 1,409 0.04% 0
Socialist Workers James Harris 844 0.03% 0
Totals 3,187,226 100.00% 15
Voter Turnout (Voting age/Registered) 50%/68%

Results by county

County Al Gore
Democratic 		George W. Bush
Republican 		Ralph Nader [7]
Green 		Pat Buchanan [7]
Reform 		Harry Browne [7]
Libertarian 		Various candidates [7]
Other parties 		Margin Total votes cast
# % # % # % # % # % # % # %
Atlantic 52,880 58.04% 35,593 39.07% 2,188 2.40% 171 0.19% 158 0.17% 112 0.12% 17,287 18.97% 91,102
Bergen 202,682 55.27% 152,731 41.65% 9,688 2.64% 755 0.21% 434 0.12% 431 0.12% 49,951 13.62% 366,721
Burlington 99,506 56.05% 72,254 40.70% 4,894 2.76% 278 0.16% 463 0.26% 146 0.08% 27,252 15.35% 177,541
Camden 127,166 64.60% 62,464 31.73% 6,124 3.11% 353 0.18% 550 0.28% 204 0.10% 64,702 32.87% 196,861
Cape May 22,189 46.62% 23,794 49.99% 1,291 2.71% 187 0.39% 82 0.17% 51 0.11% -1,605 -3.37% 47,594
Cumberland 28,188 57.90% 18,882 38.78% 1,004 2.06% 111 0.23% 130 0.27% 369 0.76% 9,306 19.12% 48,684
Essex 185,505 71.47% 66,842 25.75% 5,641 2.17% 391 0.15% 286 0.11% 908 0.35% 118,663 45.72% 259,573
Gloucester 61,095 56.94% 42,315 39.44% 3,196 2.98% 236 0.22% 320 0.30% 136 0.13% 18,780 17.50% 107,298
Hudson 118,206 70.63% 43,804 26.17% 4,436 2.65% 274 0.16% 253 0.15% 388 0.23% 74,402 44.46% 167,361
Hunterdon 21,387 37.88% 32,210 57.05% 2,459 4.36% 154 0.27% 181 0.32% 64 0.11% -10,823 -19.17% 56,455
Mercer 83,256 61.42% 46,670 34.43% 4,561 3.36% 274 0.20% 581 0.43% 217 0.16% 36,586 26.99% 135,559
Middlesex 154,998 59.88% 93,545 36.14% 8,934 3.45% 622 0.24% 449 0.17% 301 0.12% 61,453 23.74% 258,849
Monmouth 131,476 50.15% 119,291 45.51% 9,059 3.46% 678 0.26% 488 0.19% 1,149 0.44% 12,185 4.64% 262,141
Morris 88,039 42.63% 111,066 53.78% 6,333 3.07% 473 0.23% 448 0.22% 149 0.07% -23,027 -11.15% 206,508
Ocean 102,104 47.18% 105,684 48.84% 7,354 3.40% 604 0.28% 387 0.18% 260 0.12% -3,580 -1.66% 216,393
Passaic 90,324 57.69% 61,043 38.99% 3,752 2.40% 402 0.26% 199 0.13% 853 0.54% 29,281 18.70% 156,573
Salem 13,718 50.86% 12,257 45.44% 714 2.65% 75 0.28% 109 0.40% 99 0.37% 1,461 5.42% 26,972
Somerset 56,232 46.71% 59,725 49.61% 3,776 3.14% 231 0.19% 306 0.25% 107 0.09% -3,493 -2.90% 120,377
Sussex 21,353 37.14% 33,277 57.88% 2,399 4.17% 184 0.32% 151 0.26% 126 0.22% -11,924 -20.74% 57,490
Union 112,003 60.10% 68,554 36.78% 4,945 2.65% 387 0.21% 252 0.14% 232 0.12% 43,449 23.32% 186,373
Warren 16,543 40.55% 22,172 54.34% 1,806 4.43% 149 0.37% 85 0.21% 46 0.11% -5,629 -13.79% 40,801
Totals 1,788,850 56.13% 1,284,173 40.29% 94,554 2.97% 6,989 0.22% 6,312 0.20% 6,348 0.20% 504,677 15.84% 3,187,226

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

By congressional district

Gore won 11 of 13 congressional districts, including four that elected Republicans. [8]

District Gore Bush Representative
1st 63.90% 32.89% Rob Andrews
2nd 54.78% 42.55% Frank LoBiondo
3rd 53.45% 43.41% Jim Saxton
4th 52.28% 44.55% Chris Smith
5th 44.64% 51.69% Marge Roukema
6th 57.72% 38.37% Frank Pallone Jr.
7th 54.19% 42.79% Bob Franks
Mike Ferguson
8th 61.05% 36.25% Bill Pascrell
9th 63.32% 33.64% Steve Rothman
10th 84.70% 13.72% Donald Payne
11th 43.36% 53.50% Rodney Frelinghuysen
12th 50.90% 45.57% Rush Holt Jr.
13th 72.35% 25.33% Bob Menendez

Electors

Main article: List of 2000 United States presidential electors

Technically the voters of NJ cast their ballots for electors: representatives to the Electoral College. NJ is allocated 15 electors because it has 13 congressional districts and 2 senators. All candidates who appear on the ballot or qualify to receive write-in votes must submit a list of 15 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 15 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 [9] 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 Gore and Lieberman: [10]

  • Paul M. Bangiola
  • Angelo R. Bianchi
  • Mamie Bridgeforth
  • Dennis P. Collins
  • John Garrett
  • Deborah Lynch
  • Patricia McCullough
  • John McGreevey
  • June B. Montag
  • Jeffrey L. Nash
  • Barbara A. Plumeri
  • Julia Valdivia
  • Stephen S. Weinstein
  • Charles Wowkanech

See also

References

  1. ^ "New Jersey Elected Officials Lookup". 270toWin.com. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
  2. ^ Jacobs, Andrew (August 19, 2000), "The 2000 Campaign: The Impressions — New Jersey; In a Swing State, Cheers and Doubts", The New York Times, retrieved December 1, 2016
  3. ^ Marks, Peter (July 23, 2000), "July 16–22; Making Margin Calls in a Tightening Race", The New York Times, retrieved December 1, 2016
  4. ^ Leip, Dave (n.d.), "2016 Presidential General Election Results", Atlas of the U.S. Presidential Elections, retrieved December 1, 2016
  5. ^ Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016
  6. ^ "How close were U.S. Presidential Elections?". Archived from the original on August 25, 2012. Retrieved November 23, 2015.
  7. ^ a b c d "NJ US President, November 07, 2000". Our Campaigns.
  8. ^ "2000 Presidential General Election Data — New Jersey". US Election Atlas.
  9. ^ Leip, Dave (n.d.), "2000 Events Timeline — Post-Election", Atlas of the U.S. Presidential Elections, retrieved December 1, 2016
  10. ^ Whitson, James R. (n.d.), "Overview of the 2000 Election", President Elect, archived from the original on February 12, 2012, retrieved December 1, 2016
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