 | |
| Campaign | U.S. presidential election, 2000 |
|---|---|
| Candidate | Bill Bradley U.S. Senator fromNew Jersey (1979–1997) |
| Affiliation | Democratic Party |
| Status | Withdrew: March 9, 2000 |
| Key people | Michael Jordan (endorsement),Phil Jackson (endorsement),Spike Lee (endorsement) |
| Website | |
| www.billbradley.com/ (archived – Mar. 2, 2000) | |
.jpg)
The2000 presidential campaign ofBill Bradley, former Senator ofNew Jersey began when he formed an exploratory committee in December 1998, with a formal announcement in January 1999. He ran in the2000 presidential primaries, opposing incumbentVice PresidentAl Gore for his party's nomination.[1] Bradley campaigned as aprogressive alternative to Gore, taking positions to the left of Gore on a number of issues, including police brutality, racial profiling,universal health care,gun control, andcampaign finance reform.
On the issue oftaxes, Bradley trumpeted his sponsorship of theTax Reform Act of 1986, which had significantly cut tax rates while abolishing dozens ofloopholes. He voiced his belief that the best possible tax code would be one with low rates and no loopholes, but he refused to rule out the idea of raising taxes to pay for his health care program.
Onpublic education, Bradley reversed his previous support ofschool vouchers, declaring them a failure. He proposed to make over $2 billion inblock grants available to each state every year for education. He further promised to bring 60,000 new teachers into the education system annually by offeringcollegescholarships to anyone who agreed to become a teacher after graduating.
Bradley also madechild poverty a significant issue in his campaign. Having voted against thePersonal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act, better known as the "Welfare Reform Act," which, he said, would result in even higher poverty levels, he promised to repeal it as president. He also promised to address theminimum wage, expand theEarned Income Tax Credit, allowsingle parents on welfare to keep theirchild support payments, make theDependent Care Tax Credit refundable, build support homes forpregnant teenagers, enroll 400,000 more children inHead Start, and increase the availability offood stamps.
Although Gore was considered the party favorite, Bradley did receive some high-profile endorsements. His first endorsement from a sitting member of Congress came from Minnesota SenatorPaul Wellstone, who had considered a presidential run himself.[2]
Outgoing New York SenatorDaniel Patrick Moynihan endorsed Bradley's campaign, opining that Gore would be unable to win the election.[3] Former New York GovernorMario Cuomo criticized Moynihan's endorsement, calling it “surprisingly tepid” and claiming that the endorsement was motivated by the senator's conflicts with the Clinton administration (Cuomo had endorsed Gore).[4]
Bradley's campaign initially had strong prospects, due to high-profile endorsements and as his fundraising efforts gave him a deep war chest. Bradley was initially expected to fare well in the New Hampshire primary: some polls from within two weeks of that election showed him leading Gore by ten percentage points.[5] However, Bradley's prospects in New Hampshire experienced a decline in the week leading up to that contest.Boston Globe political columnist Bob Hohler regarded Gore's sizable victory inthe Iowa caucuses, seven days before New Hampshire's primary, as a transformative moment in the campaign.[5] In addition, in the days leading up to the New Hampshire primary, questions were raised about his physical health.[5]
In theNew Hampshire primary, Bradley lost to Gore by six percentage points.[5] Bradley stayed in the race until afterSuper Tuesday, but he never won a contest, and ultimately endorsed Gore.[3][5]