2000 United States presidential election in Missouri

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2000 United States presidential election in Missouri

← 1996 November 7, 2000 2004 →
 
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 50.42% 47.08%

County Results

President before election

Bill Clinton
Democratic

Elected President

George W. Bush
Republican

The 2000 United States presidential election in Missouri took place on November 7, 2000, as part of the 2000 United States presidential election. Voters chose eleven electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

Prior to the election, Missouri was widely considered to be a critical swing state.[1] Governor of Texas George W. Bush ultimately won the state by a margin of just over 3% against his Democratic opponent, Vice President Al Gore. 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. Although Bush did win the presidency, keeping the state's bellwether streak active, this was the first election since Missouri voted for Adlai Stevenson in 1956 where the state failed to back the national popular vote winner, and only the second time since 1900. This was also the first time in history that a Democrat won the popular vote without carrying Missouri. Missouri would ultimately lose its bellwether status in 2008 by narrowly voting for John McCain, and has been safely Republican in presidential elections since 2012.

As of the 2020 presidential election, this is the last time that Saline County, New Madrid County, Pemiscot County, Mississippi County, Ray County, and Clay County (which Gore won by only one vote) have voted for the Democratic presidential candidate. Bush became the first Republican to win the White House without carrying St. Louis County since Rutherford B. Hayes in 1876.This is also the last time St.Louis county voted to the right of a rural Missouri county namely Mississippi County and Pemiscot County.

Missouri was one of nine states won by Bush that had supported Bill Clinton in both 1992 and 1996.

Primaries[edit]

Results[edit]

Presidential Candidate Running Mate Party Electoral Vote (EV) Popular Vote (PV)
George W. Bush of Texas Richard Cheney of Wyoming Republican 11[2] 1,189,924 50.42%
Al Gore of Tennessee Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut Democrat 0 1,111,138 47.08%
Ralph Nader Winona LaDuke Green Party 0 38,515 1.63%
Patrick Buchanan Ezola Foster Reform Party 0 9,818 0.42%
Harry Browne Art Olivier Libertarian Party 0 7,436 0.32%
Others - - 0 3,061 0.13%
Totals 11 2,359,892 100%

By county[edit]

County George W. Bush
Republican
Al Gore
Democratic
Various candidates
Other parties
Margin Total
# % # % # % # %
Adair 6,050 57.34% 4,101 38.86% 401 3.80% 1,949 18.48% 10,552
Andrew 4,257 58.52% 2,795 38.42% 222 3.05% 1,462 20.10% 7,274
Atchison 1,798 62.63% 1,013 35.28% 60 2.09% 785 27.35% 2,871
Audrain 5,256 52.64% 4,551 45.58% 178 1.78% 705 7.06% 9,985
Barry 7,885 63.75% 4,135 33.43% 348 2.81% 3,750 30.32% 12,368
Barton 3,836 71.49% 1,424 26.54% 106 1.98% 2,412 44.95% 5,366
Bates 4,245 54.48% 3,386 43.45% 161 2.07% 859 11.03% 7,792
Benton 4,218 55.99% 3,150 41.81% 166 2.20% 1,068 14.18% 7,534
Bollinger 3,487 65.87% 1,692 31.96% 115 2.17% 1,795 33.91% 5,294
Boone 28,426 47.69% 28,811 48.33% 2,372 3.98% -385 -0.64% 59,609
Buchanan 16,423 47.26% 17,085 49.16% 1,243 3.58% -662 -1.90% 34,751
Butler 9,111 63.28% 4,996 34.70% 290 2.01% 4,115 28.58% 14,397
Caldwell 2,220 57.66% 1,488 38.65% 142 3.69% 732 19.01% 3,850
Callaway 8,238 53.81% 6,708 43.82% 362 2.36% 1,530 9.99% 15,308
Camden 10,358 60.58% 6,323 36.98% 418 2.44% 4,035 23.60% 17,099
Cape Girardeau 19,832 66.42% 9,334 31.26% 693 2.32% 10,498 35.16% 29,859
Carroll 2,880 62.87% 1,620 35.36% 81 1.77% 1,260 27.51% 4,581
Carter 1,730 61.61% 997 35.51% 81 2.88% 733 26.10% 2,808
Cass 20,113 56.07% 14,921 41.60% 835 2.33% 5,192 14.47% 35,869
Cedar 3,530 62.33% 1,979 34.95% 154 2.72% 1,551 27.38% 5,663
Chariton 2,300 55.37% 1,792 43.14% 62 1.49% 508 12.23% 4,154
Christian 14,824 63.82% 7,896 33.99% 508 2.19% 6,928 29.83% 23,228
Clark 1,899 49.95% 1,812 47.66% 91 2.39% 87 2.29% 3,802
Clay 39,083 48.75% 39,084 48.75% 2,006 2.50% -1 -0.00% 80,173
Clinton 4,323 50.67% 3,994 46.82% 214 2.51% 329 3.85% 8,531
Cole 20,167 61.53% 12,056 36.78% 552 1.68% 8,111 24.75% 32,775
Cooper 4,072 59.97% 2,567 37.81% 151 2.22% 1,505 22.16% 6,790
Crawford 4,754 57.26% 3,350 40.35% 198 2.38% 1,404 16.91% 8,302
Dade 2,468 65.78% 1,193 31.80% 91 2.43% 1,275 33.98% 3,752
Dallas 3,723 59.86% 2,311 37.16% 185 2.97% 1,412 22.70% 6,219
Daviess 2,011 57.56% 1,367 39.12% 116 3.32% 644 18.44% 3,494
DeKalb 2,363 58.36% 1,562 38.58% 124 3.06% 801 19.78% 4,049
Dent 3,996 66.73% 1,839 30.71% 153 2.56% 2,157 36.02% 5,988
Douglas 3,599 68.15% 1,546 29.27% 136 2.58% 2,053 38.88% 5,281
Dunklin 5,426 51.55% 4,947 47.00% 152 1.44% 479 4.55% 10,525
Franklin 21,863 55.78% 16,172 41.26% 1,159 2.96% 5,691 14.52% 39,194
Gasconade 4,190 63.21% 2,257 34.05% 182 2.75% 1,933 29.16% 6,629
Gentry 1,771 57.04% 1,271 40.93% 63 2.03% 500 16.11% 3,105
Greene 59,178 57.50% 41,091 39.92% 2,657 2.58% 18,087 17.58% 102,926
Grundy 2,976 63.21% 1,563 33.20% 169 3.59% 1,413 30.01% 4,708
Harrison 2,552 63.94% 1,328 33.27% 111 2.78% 1,224 30.67% 3,991
Henry 5,120 52.36% 4,459 45.60% 199 2.04% 661 6.76% 9,778
Hickory 2,172 51.25% 1,961 46.27% 105 2.48% 211 4.98% 4,238
Holt 1,738 65.29% 871 32.72% 53 1.99% 867 32.57% 2,662
Howard 2,414 53.50% 1,944 43.09% 154 3.41% 470 10.41% 4,512
Howell 9,018 64.07% 4,641 32.97% 416 2.96% 4,377 31.10% 14,075
Iron 2,237 50.68% 2,044 46.31% 133 3.01% 193 4.37% 4,414
Jackson 104,418 38.38% 160,419 58.96% 7,225 2.66% -56,001 -20.58% 272,062
Jasper 24,899 66.43% 11,737 31.31% 845 2.25% 13,162 35.12% 37,481
Jefferson 36,766 47.62% 38,616 50.02% 1,822 2.36% -1,850 -2.40% 77,204
Johnson 9,339 55.63% 6,926 41.26% 522 3.11% 2,413 14.37% 16,787
Knox 1,226 59.66% 787 38.30% 42 2.04% 439 21.36% 2,055
Laclede 8,556 65.58% 4,183 32.06% 307 2.35% 4,373 33.52% 13,046
Lafayette 7,849 54.06% 6,343 43.68% 328 2.26% 1,506 10.38% 14,520
Lawrence 8,305 64.36% 4,235 32.82% 363 2.81% 4,070 31.54% 12,903
Lewis 2,388 53.26% 2,023 45.12% 73 1.63% 365 8.14% 4,484
Lincoln 8,549 53.72% 6,961 43.74% 403 2.53% 1,588 9.98% 15,913
Linn 3,246 54.01% 2,646 44.03% 118 1.96% 600 9.98% 6,010
Livingston 3,709 59.10% 2,425 38.64% 142 2.26% 1,284 20.46% 6,276
Macon 4,232 58.98% 2,817 39.26% 126 1.76% 1,415 19.72% 7,175
Madison 2,460 56.25% 1,828 41.80% 85 1.94% 632 14.45% 4,373
Maries 2,216 57.50% 1,554 40.32% 84 2.18% 662 17.18% 3,854
Marion 6,550 55.93% 4,993 42.63% 169 1.44% 1,557 13.30% 11,712
McDonald 4,460 68.31% 1,866 28.58% 203 3.11% 2,594 39.73% 6,529
Mercer 1,250 67.86% 555 30.13% 37 2.01% 695 37.73% 1,842
Miller 5,945 63.54% 3,217 34.38% 194 2.07% 2,728 29.16% 9,356
Mississippi 2,395 45.93% 2,756 52.85% 64 1.23% -361 -6.92% 5,215
Moniteau 3,764 62.06% 2,176 35.88% 125 2.06% 1,588 26.18% 6,065
Monroe 2,175 53.13% 1,860 45.43% 59 1.44% 315 7.70% 4,094
Montgomery 3,106 58.57% 2,092 39.45% 105 1.98% 1,014 19.12% 5,303
Morgan 4,460 56.59% 3,235 41.05% 186 2.36% 1,225 15.54% 7,881
New Madrid 3,416 47.01% 3,738 51.45% 112 1.54% -322 -4.44% 7,266
Newton 14,232 67.25% 6,447 30.46% 483 2.28% 7,785 36.79% 21,162
Nodaway 5,161 57.03% 3,553 39.26% 335 3.70% 1,608 17.77% 9,049
Oregon 2,521 59.56% 1,568 37.04% 144 3.40% 953 22.52% 4,233
Osage 4,154 67.24% 1,938 31.37% 86 1.39% 2,216 35.87% 6,178
Ozark 2,663 62.05% 1,432 33.36% 197 4.59% 1,231 28.69% 4,292
Pemiscot 2,750 45.38% 3,245 53.55% 65 1.07% -495 -8.17% 6,060
Perry 4,667 67.61% 2,085 30.20% 151 2.19% 2,582 37.41% 6,903
Pettis 9,533 60.51% 5,855 37.16% 367 2.33% 3,678 23.35% 15,755
Phelps 9,444 58.49% 6,262 38.78% 440 2.73% 3,182 19.71% 16,146
Pike 3,648 49.63% 3,557 48.39% 146 1.99% 91 1.24% 7,351
Platte 17,785 52.23% 15,325 45.00% 944 2.77% 2,460 7.23% 34,054
Polk 6,430 62.46% 3,606 35.03% 258 2.51% 2,824 27.43% 10,294
Pulaski 6,531 62.02% 3,800 36.08% 200 1.90% 2,731 25.94% 10,531
Putnam 1,593 68.25% 708 30.33% 33 1.41% 885 37.92% 2,334
Ralls 2,446 53.85% 2,033 44.76% 63 1.39% 413 9.09% 4,542
Randolph 4,844 52.73% 4,116 44.81% 226 2.46% 728 7.92% 9,186
Ray 4,517 46.34% 4,970 50.99% 260 2.67% -453 -4.65% 9,747
Reynolds 1,762 56.28% 1,298 41.46% 71 2.27% 464 14.82% 3,131
Ripley 3,121 61.62% 1,820 35.93% 124 2.45% 1,301 25.69% 5,065
Saline 4,572 48.87% 4,585 49.01% 198 2.12% -13 -0.14% 9,355
Schuyler 1,159 57.78% 808 40.28% 39 1.94% 351 17.50% 2,006
Scotland 1,335 61.27% 790 36.26% 54 2.48% 545 25.01% 2,179
Scott 8,999 57.30% 6,452 41.09% 253 1.61% 2,547 16.21% 15,704
Shannon 2,245 59.38% 1,430 37.82% 106 2.80% 815 21.56% 3,781
Shelby 1,936 59.44% 1,262 38.75% 59 1.81% 674 20.69% 3,257
St. Charles 72,114 56.04% 53,806 41.81% 2,766 2.15% 18,308 14.23% 128,686
St. Clair 2,731 57.63% 1,866 39.38% 142 3.00% 865 18.25% 4,739
St. Francois 9,327 49.50% 9,075 48.17% 439 2.33% 252 1.33% 18,841
St. Louis 224,689 46.15% 250,631 51.48% 11,564 2.38% -25,942 -5.33% 486,884
St. Louis City 24,799 19.88% 96,557 77.40% 3,396 2.72% -71,758 -57.52% 124,752
Ste. Genevieve 3,505 47.94% 3,600 49.24% 206 2.82% -95 -1.30% 7,311
Stoddard 7,727 62.04% 4,476 35.94% 251 2.02% 3,251 26.10% 12,454
Stone 7,793 64.13% 4,055 33.37% 303 2.49% 3,738 30.76% 12,151
Sullivan 1,877 61.26% 1,127 36.78% 60 1.96% 750 24.48% 3,064
Taney 9,647 63.84% 5,092 33.70% 373 2.47% 4,555 30.14% 15,112
Texas 6,136 61.78% 3,486 35.10% 310 3.12% 2,650 26.68% 9,932
Vernon 4,985 59.29% 3,156 37.54% 267 3.18% 1,829 21.75% 8,408
Warren 5,979 55.67% 4,524 42.12% 237 2.21% 1,455 13.55% 10,740
Washington 4,020 48.64% 4,047 48.97% 198 2.40% -27 -0.33% 8,265
Wayne 3,346 57.22% 2,387 40.82% 115 1.97% 959 16.40% 5,848
Webster 7,350 61.87% 4,174 35.13% 356 3.00% 3,176 26.74% 11,880
Worth 651 56.22% 469 40.50% 38 3.28% 182 15.72% 1,158
Wright 5,391 68.75% 2,250 28.70% 200 2.55% 3,141 40.05% 7,841
Totals 1,189,924 50.42% 1,111,138 47.08% 58,830 2.49% 78,786 3.34% 2,359,892

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican[edit]

By congressional district[edit]

Bush won 6 of 9 congressional districts, including one held by a Democrat.[3]

District Bush Gore Representative
1st 20% 78% Bill Clay
William Lacy Clay, Jr.
2nd 55% 43% Jim Talent
Todd Akin
3rd 46% 51% Dick Gephardt
4th 58% 39% Ike Skelton
5th 36% 61% Karen McCarthy
6th 53% 44% Pat Danner
Sam Graves
7th 62% 35% Roy Blunt
8th 59% 39% Jo Ann Emerson
9th 54% 43% Kenny Hulshof

Analysis[edit]

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 the 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.

In any case, Missouri has voted reliably Republican since this election. The state very narrowly voted for John McCain in 2008 and for Mitt Romney by a wider margin in 2012; both men were ultimately defeated by Barack Obama in the nationwide election. 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.

Electors[edit]

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

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Midwest's unlikely bellwether: Missouri: Independent-minded Rolla, Mo., offers a snapshot of why key heartland states may tilt Bush's way.(USA)(Election 2000 - Swing States - Third In A Series) - The Christian Science Monitor | HighBeam Research". October 25, 2012. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012.
  2. ^ "2000 Presidential General Election Results - Missouri".
  3. ^ "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections - County Data".
  4. ^ "2000 Post-Election Timeline of Events".
  5. ^ "President Elect - 2000". Archived from the original on February 12, 2012. Retrieved October 31, 2009.