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8: Momentum
Donald Trump's surprise victory had shifted the entire race. Trump was now the clear frontrunner and with strong momentum heading into New Hampshire. In a new nationwide poll, Trump now won 28% of the vote, compared to 35% for Bush and 35% for Gore. 2000 was turning into a true three way race, and Trump had a strong chance of winning, and winning big league.
In fact, his response to the New York values gaffe had catapulted Trump into a narrow lead in his home state of New York, and a national battleground map showed he had a chance to win multiple states, for the first time since George Wallace's campaign of 1968.
View attachment 303036
Trump was very pleased, and he soon seemed unstoppable, as he gathered momentum and went from height to height. He crushed Buchanan in the New Hampshire primary, and amassed a huge delegate lead. Ventura endorsed him soon after. However, while Buchanan managed to win several southern and rural states, he never regained his old momentum and dropped out in late March.
Meanwhile, Bush became the presumptive nominee of the Republicans around mid March as the GOP coalesced around their new nominee.
The Democratic primaries on the other hand were a tight and narrow race. Bradley won New Hampshire by a comfortable margin and closely contested Al Gore in every state. The two candidates exchanged delegate leads, and the race dragged on until the convention in August. Nobody knew whether Gore or Bradley would emerge triumphant, but the superdelegates were sliently lining up behind Vice-President Gore as the safest candidate to secure a win.
Donald Trump had begun to pivot towards the grueling general election campaign that lay ahead. He held several policy speeches to burnish his presidential credentials and convince skeptics that he was ready for the White House. He also moved to unite the party, which was threatening to tear itself apart. Trump and Buchanan publically reconciled after the primary campaign, with Buchanan urging the party to unite around Trump.
Trump meanwhile drew up a vice-presidential shortlist, that included Buchanan, Ventura and other Reformers, but he alsp considered bringing in another outsider, perhaps picking Forbes or even Oprah Winfrey whom he had briefly considered before. Trump even considered announcing a "shadow cabinet" at the convention.
He also released his first general election ads, attacking the two party system and advertising his policy proposals. Trump even took to giving his opponents nicknames on the campaign trail. "Lyin' George", "Boring" or "low-energy Gore" and "Crazy Bill".
Eventually, Gore won out over Bradley, and it was finally official. Gore vs. Bush vs. Trump. These three candidates were caught in a three way tie, and the 2000 election was advertised as the closest in a generation.
As the convention drew near, the preparations were almost complete. Trump planned for a true spectacle, a made for TV event which he hoped would capture the minds and imaginations of Americans. For Trump, if the Reform convention could beat the other two in ratings, it would finally prove that there was a third party candidate who could win.
Momentum
Donald Trump's surprise victory had shifted the entire race. Trump was now the clear frontrunner and with strong momentum heading into New Hampshire. In a new nationwide poll, Trump now won 28% of the vote, compared to 35% for Bush and 35% for Gore. 2000 was turning into a true three way race, and Trump had a strong chance of winning, and winning big league.
In fact, his response to the New York values gaffe had catapulted Trump into a narrow lead in his home state of New York, and a national battleground map showed he had a chance to win multiple states, for the first time since George Wallace's campaign of 1968.
View attachment 303036
Trump was very pleased, and he soon seemed unstoppable, as he gathered momentum and went from height to height. He crushed Buchanan in the New Hampshire primary, and amassed a huge delegate lead. Ventura endorsed him soon after. However, while Buchanan managed to win several southern and rural states, he never regained his old momentum and dropped out in late March.
Meanwhile, Bush became the presumptive nominee of the Republicans around mid March as the GOP coalesced around their new nominee.
The Democratic primaries on the other hand were a tight and narrow race. Bradley won New Hampshire by a comfortable margin and closely contested Al Gore in every state. The two candidates exchanged delegate leads, and the race dragged on until the convention in August. Nobody knew whether Gore or Bradley would emerge triumphant, but the superdelegates were sliently lining up behind Vice-President Gore as the safest candidate to secure a win.
Donald Trump had begun to pivot towards the grueling general election campaign that lay ahead. He held several policy speeches to burnish his presidential credentials and convince skeptics that he was ready for the White House. He also moved to unite the party, which was threatening to tear itself apart. Trump and Buchanan publically reconciled after the primary campaign, with Buchanan urging the party to unite around Trump.
Trump meanwhile drew up a vice-presidential shortlist, that included Buchanan, Ventura and other Reformers, but he alsp considered bringing in another outsider, perhaps picking Forbes or even Oprah Winfrey whom he had briefly considered before. Trump even considered announcing a "shadow cabinet" at the convention.
He also released his first general election ads, attacking the two party system and advertising his policy proposals. Trump even took to giving his opponents nicknames on the campaign trail. "Lyin' George", "Boring" or "low-energy Gore" and "Crazy Bill".
Eventually, Gore won out over Bradley, and it was finally official. Gore vs. Bush vs. Trump. These three candidates were caught in a three way tie, and the 2000 election was advertised as the closest in a generation.
As the convention drew near, the preparations were almost complete. Trump planned for a true spectacle, a made for TV event which he hoped would capture the minds and imaginations of Americans. For Trump, if the Reform convention could beat the other two in ratings, it would finally prove that there was a third party candidate who could win.
- Abraham Washington
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