Texas found itself at the center of the 2000 presidential election with Governor George W. Bush in the race. The Houston native became a top contender soon after formally announcing his candidacy in June 1999. He received the Republican nomination the following summer. Under the spotlight of a presidential campaign, Bush’s gubernatorial leadership received national attention. His policy on capital punishment and reluctance to enact stronger hate crime legislation following the murder of James Byrd Jr. emerged as particularly contentious issues for the candidate. Bush’s Democratic opponent, Vice President Al Gore, meanwhile faced political scrutiny for the actions of the Clinton Administration, such as US involvement in the Kosovo War and the international immigration and custody dispute with Cuba over five-year-old Elián González.
The 2000 presidential election proved one of the closest races in American history. Deciding a winner required five weeks of ballot recounts and an intervening decision by the US Supreme Court. Bush narrowly won the Electoral College despite receiving more than 500,000 fewer votes than Gore. For the first time since 1888, the winning candidate lost the popular vote. Upon his inauguration in January 2001, Bush became the first Texan to occupy the White House since Lyndon B. Johnson.
Texas found itself at the center of the 2000 presidential election with Governor George W. Bush in the race. The Houston native became a top contender soon after formally announcing his candidacy in June 1999. He received the Republican nomination the following summer. Under the spotlight of a presidential campaign, Bush’s gubernatorial leadership received national attention. His policy on capital punishment and reluctance to enact stronger hate crime legislation following the murder of James Byrd Jr. emerged as particularly contentious issues for the candidate. Bush’s Democratic opponent, Vice President Al Gore, meanwhile faced political scrutiny for the actions of the Clinton Administration, such as US involvement in the Kosovo War and the international immigration and custody dispute with Cuba over five-year-old Elián González.
The 2000 presidential election proved one of the closest races in American history. Deciding a winner required five weeks of ballot recounts and an intervening decision by the US Supreme Court. Bush narrowly won the Electoral College despite receiving more than 500,000 fewer votes than Gore. For the first time since 1888, the winning candidate lost the popular vote. Upon his inauguration in January 2001, Bush became the first Texan to occupy the White House since Lyndon B. Johnson.
Texas found itself at the center of the 2000 presidential election with Governor George W. Bush in the race. The Houston native became a top contender soon after formally announcing his candidacy in June 1999. He received the Republican nomination the following summer. Under the spotlight of a presidential campaign, Bush’s gubernatorial leadership received national attention. His policy on capital punishment and reluctance to enact stronger hate crime legislation following the murder of James Byrd Jr. emerged as particularly contentious issues for the candidate. Bush’s Democratic opponent, Vice President Al Gore, meanwhile faced political scrutiny for the actions of the Clinton Administration, such as US involvement in the Kosovo War and the international immigration and custody dispute with Cuba over five-year-old Elián González.
The 2000 presidential election proved one of the closest races in American history. Deciding a winner required five weeks of ballot recounts and an intervening decision by the US Supreme Court. Bush narrowly won the Electoral College despite receiving more than 500,000 fewer votes than Gore. For the first time since 1888, the winning candidate lost the popular vote. Upon his inauguration in January 2001, Bush became the first Texan to occupy the White House since Lyndon B. Johnson.
