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 County results Congressional district results
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The2000 United States presidential election in Missouri took place on November 7, 2000, as part of the2000 United States presidential election. Voters chose eleven electors to theElectoral College, who voted forpresident andvice president.
Prior to the election,Missouri was widely considered to be a criticalswing state.[1]Governor of TexasGeorge W. Bush ultimately won the state by a margin of just over 3% against his Democratic opponent,Vice PresidentAl Gore. The 2000 election was seen as a turning point forMissouri's bellwether status; the state was notable for voting for the overall winner of the presidency throughout most of the 20th Century. Missouri ultimately proved decisive as Gore would have won the presidency with 278 Electoral votes had he won Missouri, regardless of the outcome in Florida. Reportedly, Missouri RepresentativeDick Gephardt was on Gore's "short list" of potential running mates.[2]
Although Bush did win the presidency, thus keeping the state's bellwether streak active, this was the first election since Missouri voted forAdlai Stevenson in1956 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 in2008 by narrowly voting forJohn McCain, and has been safely Republican in presidential elections since 2012.
As of the 2024 presidential election[update], this is the last time thatSaline,New Madrid,Pemiscot,Mississippi,Ray, andClay Counties (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 carryingSt. Louis County sinceRutherford B. Hayes in1876.
Missouri was one of nine states won by Bush that had supportedBill Clinton in both 1992 and 1996.
| 2000 United States presidential election in West Virginia | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Running mate | Popular vote | Electoral vote | Swing | ||||
| Count | % | Count | % | ||||||
| Republican | George W. Bush ofTexas | Dick Cheney ofWyoming | 1,189,924 | 50.42% | 11 | 100.00% |  9.18% | ||
| Democratic | Al Gore ofTennessee | Joe Lieberman ofConnecticut | 1,111,138 | 47.08% | 0 | 0.00% |  0.46% | ||
| Green | Ralph Nader ofConnecticut | Winona LaDuke ofMinnesota | 38,515 | 1.63% | 0 | 0.00% | 1.63% | ||
| Reform | Pat Buchanan ofVirginia | Ezola B. Foster ofCalifornia | 9,818 | 0.42% | 0 | 0.00% | 9.64% | ||
| Libertarian | Harry Browne ofTennessee | Art Olivier ofCalifornia | 7,436 | 0.32% | 0 | 0.00% | 0.17% | ||
| Total | 2,359,892 | 100.00% | 11 | 100.00% | |||||
| 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 |
Bush won six of nine congressional districts, including one that elected a Democrat.[3]
| District | Gore | Bush | Representative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 78% | 20% | Bill Clay |
| William Lacy Clay, Jr. | |||
| 2nd | 43% | 55% | Jim Talent |
| Todd Akin | |||
| 3rd | 51% | 46% | Dick Gephardt |
| 4th | 39% | 58% | Ike Skelton |
| 5th | 61% | 36% | Karen McCarthy |
| 6th | 44% | 53% | Pat Danner |
| Sam Graves | |||
| 7th | 35% | 62% | Roy Blunt |
| 8th | 39% | 59% | Jo Ann Emerson |
| 9th | 43% | 54% | Kenny Hulshof |
Beginning with the 2000 election, the status of theMissouri bellwether came into question. Between1904 and2004, Missouri was carried by the victor of each presidential election, with theexception of 1956. Though Bush won the presidency in the 2000 election through theElectoral College, he lost the nationalpopular vote. The 2000 election was unique because this was thefirst time in over a century where the popular vote winner lost the general election. (In1888, Missouri voted forGrover Cleveland, the incumbent Democrat, who lost toRepublican candidateBenjamin Harrison). Thus, controversy exists as to whether or not Missouri accurately predicted the victor in this election. In thesubsequent 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 reliablyRepublican since this election. The state very narrowly voted forJohn McCain in2008 and forMitt Romney by a wider margin in2012; both men were ultimately defeated byBarack Obama in the nationwide election. The controversy is further complicated by the2016 presidential election, where Missouri voted forDonald Trump by a landslide, whileHillary Clinton won the popular vote by nearly three million votes, but like in 2000, Trump won the Electoral College and became45thPresident of the United States. Like 2000, political scientists have differing opinions on whether or not Missouri accurately predicted the victor.
Technically the voters of Missouri cast their ballots for electors: representatives to theElectoral College. Missouri is allocated 11 electors because it has 9congressional districts and 2senators. 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 afaithless elector.
The electors of each state and theDistrict 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]
State and district results of the2000 United States presidential election | ||
|---|---|---|
|  | |
