288: John McCain/Christine Todd Whitman - 49.5%
250: Albert Gore, Jr./Howard Dean - 47.6%
Others - 2.9%
Howard Dean outshines Gore, whereas Whitman seems to be the perfect counterpart for McCain. McCain's chief campaigners are George W. Bush, Dan Quayle, and Gordon Smith. McCain is also helped by a "New Republican Caucus," which is started by Michael Bloomberg, John Kasich, and Mitt Romney. This group, while usually operating more independently of McCain, was only closely aligned with McCain after agreeing to fund Dino Rossi and Jon Huntsman. Romney almost attempted to get Leavitt to primary Huntsman, but instead Leavitt successfully primaried Orrin Hatch, with the support of the NRC and Jon Huntsman, Sr.