The GOP controlling both houses of Congress only made it harder, especially when centrist Democrats often aligned themselves with the GOP in key votes. Remember the Federal Assault Weapons ban? It was defeated by a 49-51 vote, mainly due to Democratic hesitation. And the dot com bubble bursting really did serve as the ending for that economic boom in the 90’s. It had to end sometime.
Mike Gravel’s primary challenge was what made that election.

Him hammering away at an established politician like Kerry made him a viral sensation to the GOP. I heard that some Democrats today still vilify him for hurting Kerry so much. They believe that Kerry could have beaten Jon Huntsman Jr. if it weren’t for him.