If Bush Had McCain As VP In 2000 Would He Have Won Uncontested?

[Lincoln Republican]

If then Governor George W Bush had Senator John McCain as his Vice Presidential running mate in 2000, would he have won the election outright and uncontested?

I know Bush would not have picked McCain and McCain would not have accepted if offered, but the quetion is if McCain was Bush's running mate.

[Gabu]

If McCain had been Bush's running mate, then either Bush would not have been the Bush we know or McCain would not have been McCain we knew, and in either case it's really impossible to say.

[afleitch]

Mc Cain would have overshadowed Bush in the campaign (Like Bentsen overshadowed Dukakis) It would have made a Gore win more likely in my opinion.

[gorkay]

Perhaps (although it's impossible to imagine such a pairing). Keep in mind, though, that McCain was not nearly as well-known or as popular in 2000 as he is today, and Cheney was not nearly as well-known or as unpopular.

Alternative question: If Kerry had had McCain as his running mate in 2004 (and he did make overtures to him), would he have won uncontested?

[Nym90]

Hard to say how much help McCain would've been.

Bush probably would've done slightly better overall, though. New Mexico probably would've gone for Bush, otherwise I think the electoral map would've looked the same....I don't think the VP choice has as much impact as some people think.

[Lief 🗽]

McCain flips New Mexico. No idea what happens in Florida.

[Lincoln Republican]

With McCain as a running mate, it is conceivable that this may have had enough appeal to       independent and some Democratic voters to swing Wisconsin, Iowa, New Mexico and Oregon to Bush, thus giving Bush an undisputed win.  With these four states, which Bush lost by very small margins, Bush wins the election without Florida.     

[Reignman]

With McCain as his running mate:

Image Link

And a virtual tie in the popular vote.

[politicaltipster]

I think Bush would have underperformed in 2000. McCain's supporters would have been annoyed at Bush and vice versa. I read somewhere that Bush ran a poll in ealry 2004 and found that Bush/McCain significantly underperformed Bush/Cheney. Of course, Kerry/Mccain would have won in 2004.

[WalterMitty]

if bush used the same strategy, the results would be largely the same, even with mccain on the ticket.

in the closing weeks of the campaign, due to arrogance, bush was running around ca, il and nj instead of fl, ia, wi, and nm.

[12th Doctor]

if bush used the same strategy, the results would be largely the same, even with mccain on the ticket.

in the closing weeks of the campaign, due to arrogance, bush was running around ca, il and nj instead of fl, ia, wi, and nm.

Don't forget that the DUI "scandal" really knocked Bush down in the polls.  Had that not happened, or had people not been so offended by it, then Bush probably would have taken 50-51 in the PV.

[Dr. Cynic]

If anything, it helps Gore, because McCain on the campaign trail would make Bush seem even more ineffectual and bumbling.