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| Turnout | 63.03% [1] 0.26pp | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 County results Congressional district results Precinct results
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The2000 United States presidential election in Tennessee was held on November 7, 2000, and was part of the2000 United States presidential election. Voters chose 11 representatives, or electors, to theElectoral College, who voted forpresident andvice president.
Tennessee was won by TexasGovernorGeorge W. Bush by a 3.87% margin of victory, despite having voted for PresidentBill Clinton in1992 and1996 and being the home state ofVice PresidentAl Gore. If Gore had carried his home state, he, instead of Bush, would have been elected president.[2]
Gore's defeat was considered an upset, as he had previouslywon every county in Tennessee in 1990 in his Senate bid and was popular in the state prior to his election asvice president.
This was the last of three consecutive elections in which Tennessee was decided by single-digit margins, and as of 2024, this is the last election in which Tennessee was decided by less than 10%. Since 2000, Tennessee has rapidly moved away from swing state status and become a Republican stronghold.[3] Gore was the first major party nominee to lose his home state sinceGeorge McGovernlost South Dakota in1972. Additionally, this was the first election where a presidential nominee won the state with more than a million votes.
As of the2024 presidential election[update], this is the last election in whichCampbell County,Lewis County,Robertson County,Gibson County,Dickson County,Bedford County,Franklin County,Warren County,Henry County,Marshall County,Giles County,Marion County,White County,Hickman County,DeKalb County,Crockett County,Cannon County, andDecatur County voted for the Democratic nominee. Gore's victories in Marion and Campbell remain the last time that a Democrat has carried any county in staunchly RepublicanEast Tennessee, this was also the last time a Democrat crossed 40% inEast Tennessee. The election served as the last in which Tennessee was regarded as a swing state in some outlets.
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81 delegates to theDemocratic National Convention (68 pledged, 13 unpledged) The number of pledged delegates received is determined by the popular vote | |||||||||||||||||||
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.svg) Results by county Gore: 70–80% 80–90% 90–100% | |||||||||||||||||||
The 2000 Tennessee Democratic presidential primary was held on March 14, 2000, as one of 6 contests scheduled the following week afterSuper Tuesday. TheTennessee primary was anopen primary, with the state awarding 81delegates towards the2000 Democratic National Convention, of which 68 were pledged delegates allocated on the basis of the results of the primary.
Vice presidentAl Gore easily decided the primary in his home state, winning 92.1% of the vote and all 68 delegates. SenatorBill Bradley took only 5.3% of the vote and earned 0 delegates, whileLyndon LaRouche Jr. only got 0.5% of the vote.
| Candidate | Votes | % | Delegates[5] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Al Gore | 198,264 | 92.13 | 68 |
| Bill Bradley(withdrawn) | 11,323 | 5.26 | |
| Uncommitted | 4,407 | 2.05 | 13 |
| Lyndon LaRouche Jr. | 1,031 | 0.48 | |
| Write-in votes | 178 | 0.08 | |
| Total | 215,203 | 100% | 81 |
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.svg) Results by county Bush: 60–65% 65–70% 70–75% 75–80% 80–85% 85–90% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2000 Tennessee Republican presidential primary was held on March 14, 2000, as one of 6 contests scheduled the following week afterSuper Tuesday. TheTennessee primary was anopen primary, with the state awarding 37delegates towards the2000 Republican National Convention.
George W. Bush won the primary with 77.0% of the vote and all 37 of the state's delegates.John McCain came second with 14.5% of the vote.Alan Keyes came third with 6.8% of the vote.
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage | Delegates |
|---|---|---|---|
| George W. Bush | 193,166 | 77.02% | 37 |
| John McCain | 36,436 | 14.53% | 0 |
| Alan Keyes | 16,916 | 6.75% | 0 |
| Gary Bauer | 1,305 | 0.52% | 0 |
| Steve Forbes | 1,018 | 0.41% | 0 |
| Orrin Hatch | 252 | 0.10% | 0 |
| Write-ins | 75 | 0.03% | 0 |
| Uncommitted | 1,623 | 0.65% | 0 |
| Total | 250,791 | 100.00% | 37 |
| 2000 United States presidential election in Tennessee | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Running mate | Popular vote | Electoral vote | Swing | ||||
| Count | % | Count | % | ||||||
| Republican | George W. Bush ofTexas | Dick Cheney ofWyoming | 1,061,949 | 51.15% | 11 | 100.00% | 5.56% | ||
| Democratic | Al Gore ofTennessee | Joe Lieberman ofConnecticut | 981,720 | 47.28% | 0 | 0.00% |  0.72% | ||
| Green | Ralph Nader ofConnecticut | Winona LaDuke ofMinnesota | 19,781 | 0.95% | 0 | 0.00% | N/A | ||
| Reform | Pat Buchanan ofVirginia | Ezola B. Foster ofCalifornia | 3,169 | 0.21% | 0 | 0.00% | 5.38% | ||
| Libertarian | Harry Browne ofTennessee | Art Olivier ofCalifornia | 4,284 | 0.30% | 0 | 0.00% | 0.00% | ||
| Constitution | Howard Phillips ofVirginia | Darrell Castle ofTennessee | 23 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% |  | ||
| Natural Law | John Hagelin ofIowa | Nat Goldhaber ofCalifornia | 367 | 0.06% | 0 | 0.00% | 0.06% | ||
| Write-in | Various of Various | Various of Various | 1 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | | ||
| Total | 2,071,984 | 100.00% | 11 | 100.00% | |||||
| County | George W. Bush Republican | Al Gore Democratic | Various candidates Other parties | Margin | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Anderson | 14,688 | 51.04% | 13,556 | 47.10% | 535 | 1.86% | 1,132 | 3.94% | 28,779 |
| Bedford | 5,911 | 48.42% | 6,136 | 50.27% | 160 | 1.31% | -225 | -1.85% | 12,207 |
| Benton | 2,484 | 39.36% | 3,700 | 58.63% | 127 | 2.01% | -1,216 | -19.27% | 6,311 |
| Bledsoe | 2,380 | 56.72% | 1,756 | 41.85% | 60 | 1.43% | 624 | 14.87% | 4,196 |
| Blount | 25,273 | 62.15% | 14,688 | 36.12% | 701 | 1.72% | 10,585 | 26.03% | 40,662 |
| Bradley | 20,167 | 68.50% | 8,768 | 29.78% | 508 | 1.73% | 11,399 | 38.72% | 29,443 |
| Campbell | 5,784 | 46.57% | 6,492 | 52.27% | 145 | 1.17% | -708 | -5.70% | 12,421 |
| Cannon | 1,924 | 40.96% | 2,697 | 57.42% | 76 | 1.62% | -773 | -16.46% | 4,697 |
| Carroll | 5,465 | 50.48% | 5,239 | 48.39% | 123 | 1.14% | 226 | 2.09% | 10,827 |
| Carter | 12,111 | 63.40% | 6,724 | 35.20% | 267 | 1.40% | 5,387 | 28.20% | 19,102 |
| Cheatham | 6,356 | 50.38% | 6,062 | 48.05% | 198 | 1.57% | 294 | 2.33% | 12,616 |
| Chester | 3,487 | 60.88% | 2,192 | 38.27% | 49 | 0.86% | 1,295 | 22.61% | 5,728 |
| Claiborne | 5,023 | 55.81% | 3,841 | 42.68% | 136 | 1.51% | 1,182 | 13.13% | 9,000 |
| Clay | 1,468 | 42.65% | 1,931 | 56.10% | 43 | 1.25% | -463 | -13.45% | 3,442 |
| Cocke | 6,185 | 60.41% | 3,872 | 37.82% | 182 | 1.78% | 2,313 | 22.59% | 10,239 |
| Coffee | 8,788 | 49.40% | 8,741 | 49.14% | 259 | 1.46% | 47 | 0.26% | 17,788 |
| Crockett | 2,676 | 49.19% | 2,705 | 49.72% | 59 | 1.08% | -29 | -0.53% | 5,440 |
| Cumberland | 10,994 | 57.81% | 7,644 | 40.20% | 379 | 1.99% | 3,350 | 17.61% | 19,017 |
| Davidson | 84,117 | 40.33% | 120,508 | 57.77% | 3,963 | 1.90% | -36,391 | -17.44% | 208,588 |
| Decatur | 2,046 | 46.82% | 2,278 | 52.13% | 46 | 1.05% | -232 | -5.31% | 4,370 |
| DeKalb | 2,411 | 38.48% | 3,765 | 60.10% | 89 | 1.42% | -1,354 | -21.62% | 6,265 |
| Dickson | 7,016 | 45.10% | 8,332 | 53.56% | 208 | 1.34% | -1,316 | -8.46% | 15,556 |
| Dyer | 6,282 | 53.05% | 5,425 | 45.82% | 134 | 1.13% | 857 | 7.23% | 11,841 |
| Fayette | 6,402 | 55.53% | 5,037 | 43.69% | 90 | 0.78% | 1,365 | 11.84% | 11,529 |
| Fentress | 3,417 | 56.68% | 2,529 | 41.95% | 83 | 1.38% | 888 | 14.73% | 6,029 |
| Franklin | 6,560 | 44.65% | 7,828 | 53.28% | 303 | 2.06% | -1,268 | -8.63% | 14,691 |
| Gibson | 8,286 | 48.35% | 8,663 | 50.55% | 188 | 1.10% | -377 | -2.20% | 17,137 |
| Giles | 4,377 | 43.48% | 5,527 | 54.91% | 162 | 1.61% | -1,150 | -11.43% | 10,066 |
| Grainger | 3,746 | 60.48% | 2,361 | 38.12% | 87 | 1.40% | 1,385 | 22.36% | 6,194 |
| Greene | 12,540 | 60.24% | 7,909 | 37.99% | 367 | 1.76% | 4,631 | 22.25% | 20,816 |
| Grundy | 1,553 | 33.79% | 2,970 | 64.62% | 73 | 1.59% | -1,417 | -30.83% | 4,596 |
| Hamblen | 11,824 | 60.02% | 7,564 | 38.40% | 311 | 1.58% | 4,260 | 21.62% | 19,699 |
| Hamilton | 66,605 | 55.33% | 51,708 | 42.95% | 2,066 | 1.72% | 14,897 | 12.38% | 120,379 |
| Hancock | 1,343 | 64.72% | 690 | 33.25% | 42 | 2.02% | 653 | 31.47% | 2,075 |
| Hardeman | 3,729 | 42.36% | 4,953 | 56.26% | 121 | 1.37% | -1,224 | -13.90% | 8,803 |
| Hardin | 4,951 | 56.38% | 3,735 | 42.53% | 96 | 1.09% | 1,216 | 13.85% | 8,782 |
| Hawkins | 10,071 | 58.90% | 6,753 | 39.50% | 274 | 1.60% | 3,318 | 19.40% | 17,098 |
| Haywood | 2,554 | 39.43% | 3,887 | 60.00% | 37 | 0.57% | -1,333 | -20.57% | 6,478 |
| Henderson | 5,153 | 61.35% | 3,166 | 37.69% | 80 | 0.95% | 1,987 | 23.66% | 8,399 |
| Henry | 5,944 | 48.29% | 6,093 | 49.50% | 272 | 2.21% | -149 | -1.21% | 12,309 |
| Hickman | 2,914 | 40.12% | 4,239 | 58.36% | 111 | 1.53% | -1,325 | -18.24% | 7,264 |
| Houston | 993 | 31.76% | 2,081 | 66.55% | 53 | 1.69% | -1,088 | -34.79% | 3,127 |
| Humphreys | 2,387 | 35.73% | 4,205 | 62.94% | 89 | 1.33% | -1,818 | -27.21% | 6,681 |
| Jackson | 1,384 | 29.11% | 3,304 | 69.50% | 66 | 1.39% | -1,920 | -40.39% | 4,754 |
| Jefferson | 8,657 | 61.45% | 5,226 | 37.10% | 204 | 1.45% | 3,431 | 24.35% | 14,087 |
| Johnson | 3,740 | 66.11% | 1,813 | 32.05% | 104 | 1.84% | 1,927 | 34.06% | 5,657 |
| Knox | 86,851 | 57.68% | 60,969 | 40.49% | 2,766 | 1.84% | 25,882 | 17.19% | 150,586 |
| Lake | 781 | 35.12% | 1,419 | 63.80% | 24 | 1.08% | -638 | -28.68% | 2,224 |
| Lauderdale | 3,329 | 43.70% | 4,224 | 55.45% | 65 | 0.85% | -895 | -11.75% | 7,618 |
| Lawrence | 7,613 | 52.61% | 6,643 | 45.91% | 214 | 1.48% | 970 | 6.70% | 14,470 |
| Lewis | 2,037 | 46.09% | 2,281 | 51.61% | 102 | 2.31% | -244 | -5.52% | 4,420 |
| Lincoln | 5,435 | 50.99% | 5,060 | 47.47% | 164 | 1.54% | 375 | 3.52% | 10,659 |
| Loudon | 10,266 | 62.57% | 5,905 | 35.99% | 235 | 1.43% | 4,361 | 26.58% | 16,406 |
| Macon | 3,366 | 51.86% | 3,059 | 47.13% | 66 | 1.02% | 307 | 4.73% | 6,491 |
| Madison | 17,862 | 52.64% | 15,781 | 46.51% | 287 | 0.85% | 2,081 | 6.13% | 33,930 |
| Marion | 4,651 | 45.38% | 5,441 | 53.08% | 158 | 1.54% | -790 | -7.70% | 10,250 |
| Marshall | 4,105 | 43.86% | 5,107 | 54.57% | 147 | 1.57% | -1,002 | -10.71% | 9,359 |
| Maury | 11,930 | 50.98% | 11,127 | 47.55% | 343 | 1.47% | 803 | 3.43% | 23,400 |
| McMinn | 10,155 | 61.17% | 6,142 | 37.00% | 303 | 1.83% | 4,013 | 24.17% | 16,600 |
| McNairy | 4,897 | 54.48% | 4,003 | 44.53% | 89 | 0.99% | 894 | 9.95% | 8,989 |
| Meigs | 1,797 | 53.01% | 1,555 | 45.87% | 38 | 1.12% | 242 | 7.14% | 3,390 |
| Monroe | 7,514 | 57.79% | 5,327 | 40.97% | 162 | 1.25% | 2,187 | 16.82% | 13,003 |
| Montgomery | 19,644 | 50.31% | 18,818 | 48.20% | 582 | 1.49% | 826 | 2.11% | 39,044 |
| Moore | 1,145 | 49.76% | 1,107 | 48.11% | 49 | 2.13% | 38 | 1.65% | 2,301 |
| Morgan | 3,144 | 51.02% | 2,921 | 47.40% | 97 | 1.57% | 223 | 3.62% | 6,162 |
| Obion | 6,168 | 49.58% | 6,056 | 48.68% | 216 | 1.74% | 112 | 0.90% | 12,440 |
| Overton | 2,875 | 38.35% | 4,507 | 60.13% | 114 | 1.52% | -1,632 | -21.78% | 7,496 |
| Perry | 1,165 | 40.65% | 1,650 | 57.57% | 51 | 1.78% | -485 | -16.92% | 2,866 |
| Pickett | 1,281 | 57.21% | 939 | 41.94% | 19 | 0.85% | 342 | 15.27% | 2,239 |
| Polk | 2,907 | 51.97% | 2,574 | 46.01% | 113 | 2.02% | 333 | 5.96% | 5,594 |
| Putnam | 11,248 | 50.13% | 10,785 | 48.07% | 405 | 1.80% | 463 | 2.06% | 22,438 |
| Rhea | 5,900 | 60.38% | 3,722 | 38.09% | 150 | 1.53% | 2,178 | 22.29% | 9,772 |
| Roane | 11,345 | 53.20% | 9,575 | 44.90% | 406 | 1.90% | 1,770 | 8.30% | 21,326 |
| Robertson | 9,675 | 47.98% | 10,249 | 50.83% | 240 | 1.19% | -574 | -2.85% | 20,164 |
| Rutherford | 33,445 | 53.79% | 27,360 | 44.00% | 1,377 | 2.21% | 6,085 | 9.79% | 62,182 |
| Scott | 3,579 | 54.10% | 2,967 | 44.85% | 69 | 1.04% | 612 | 9.25% | 6,615 |
| Sequatchie | 2,169 | 55.80% | 1,648 | 42.40% | 70 | 1.80% | 521 | 13.40% | 3,887 |
| Sevier | 16,734 | 65.97% | 8,208 | 32.36% | 423 | 1.67% | 8,526 | 33.61% | 25,365 |
| Shelby | 141,756 | 42.09% | 190,404 | 56.54% | 4,595 | 1.36% | -48,648 | -14.45% | 336,755 |
| Smith | 2,384 | 32.44% | 4,884 | 66.47% | 80 | 1.09% | -2,500 | -34.03% | 7,348 |
| Stewart | 1,826 | 38.18% | 2,870 | 60.02% | 86 | 1.80% | -1,044 | -21.84% | 4,782 |
| Sullivan | 33,482 | 60.08% | 21,354 | 38.32% | 891 | 1.60% | 12,128 | 21.76% | 55,727 |
| Sumner | 27,601 | 54.68% | 22,118 | 43.82% | 758 | 1.50% | 5,483 | 10.86% | 50,477 |
| Tipton | 10,070 | 60.84% | 6,300 | 38.06% | 182 | 1.10% | 3,770 | 22.78% | 16,552 |
| Trousdale | 950 | 32.26% | 1,966 | 66.76% | 29 | 0.98% | -1,016 | -34.50% | 2,945 |
| Unicoi | 3,780 | 58.80% | 2,566 | 39.91% | 83 | 1.29% | 1,215 | 18.89% | 6,429 |
| Union | 3,199 | 54.96% | 2,564 | 44.05% | 58 | 1.00% | 635 | 10.91% | 5,821 |
| Van Buren | 845 | 39.65% | 1,255 | 58.89% | 31 | 1.45% | -410 | -19.24% | 2,131 |
| Warren | 5,552 | 42.28% | 7,378 | 56.19% | 201 | 1.53% | -1,826 | -13.91% | 13,131 |
| Washington | 22,579 | 59.51% | 14,769 | 38.93% | 594 | 1.57% | 7,810 | 20.58% | 37,942 |
| Wayne | 3,370 | 63.51% | 1,859 | 35.04% | 77 | 1.45% | 1,511 | 28.47% | 5,306 |
| Weakley | 6,106 | 51.55% | 5,570 | 47.03% | 168 | 1.42% | 536 | 4.52% | 11,844 |
| White | 3,525 | 45.34% | 4,135 | 53.18% | 115 | 1.48% | -610 | -7.84% | 7,775 |
| Williamson | 38,901 | 66.58% | 18,745 | 32.08% | 783 | 1.34% | 20,156 | 34.50% | 58,429 |
| Wilson | 18,844 | 52.47% | 16,561 | 46.11% | 511 | 1.42% | 2,283 | 6.36% | 35,916 |
| Totals | 1,061,949 | 51.15% | 981,720 | 47.28% | 32,512 | 1.57% | 80,229 | 3.87% | 2,076,181 |
Bush won six of nine congressional districts, including one held by a Democrat.[7]
| District | Gore | Bush | Representative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 37% | 61% | Bill Jenkins |
| 2nd | 40% | 58% | Jimmy Duncan |
| 3rd | 45% | 53% | Zach Wamp |
| 4th | 46% | 52% | Van Hilleary |
| 5th | 58% | 40% | Bob Clement |
| 6th | 45% | 54% | Bart Gordon |
| 7th | 44% | 54% | Ed Bryant |
| 8th | 50% | 49% | John S. Tanner |
| 9th | 77% | 22% | Harold Ford Jr. |
The electors of each state and theDistrict of Columbia met on December 18, 2000[8] 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 Bush and Dick Cheney:[9]
Along with his razor-thin loss inFlorida, this was the closest Gore came to winning anySouthern state. Gore lost his home state due to Bush's gains in rural counties, overcoming Gore's gains inDavidson County (home toNashville, Tennessee) andShelby County (home toMemphis). In the concurrent2000 United States Senate election in Tennessee, RepublicanBill Frist won the state by 33%, a harbinger of the state's further shift rightward in future years.
At the time, Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia were considered reliably red states in presidential elections. Virginia has been won by every Democratic nominee since the2008 United States presidential election.
State and district results of the2000 United States presidential election | ||
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