McCain chooses Governor Frank Keating of Oklahoma as his running mate. The selection of Keating- a southern conservative popular among evangelicals- is perceived as a peace offering to the GOP's right wing, still burned by the primary defeat of George W. Bush. Still, the Reform candidacy of Pat Buchanan wins support from many disaffected conservatives.
On the Democratic side, Gore chooses Senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut as his running mate. He calls himself a "progressive centrist" and promises to continue the winning economic policies of the Clinton years, while vowing to hold himself to a higher moral standard than the controversial President. He also faces a third-party challenge: consumer advocate Ralph Nader, running on the Green ticket, attacks the "DLC corporatism" of the Democratic ticket and appeals to liberal voters.
The general campaign is rather listless and unexciting, as both Gore and McCain portray themselves as moderates. The Vice President attacks McCain as "out-of-the-mainstream", citing his conservative voting record; McCain calls Gore an advocate of "1960s ideas", pledging to make a fresh start as President and govern in a bipartisan manner.
The only real excitement comes from the third-parties. The feisty Buchanan travels the nation, urging conservatives to reject the "liberal" McCain and his "Clinton-lite" brand of politics. Nader attacks Gore from the left, saying that only he will stand up to corporate interests.
National polls consistently show McCain ahead, with leads as large as eight points. But this advantage melts away when voters go to the polls, thanks largely to an impressive Democratic GOTV operation (spearheaded by strategist Donna Brazile). The final results show the following:
McCain/Keating (R): 48 percent
Gore/Lieberman (D): 47 percent
Nader/LaDuke (G): 2 percent
Buchanan/Foster (REF): 2 percent
Others: 1 percent
The electoral vote is even closer:
McCain wins 271-267.
Gore is relatively strong across the South; he carries his native Tennessee along with historically Democratic West Virginia and a surprising win in Florida (some observers point the finger at a bitter Governor Bush, who supposedly undermined the McCain effort). He also comes close in Arkansas and Virginia.
McCain, for his part, carries the upper Midwest along with Oregon- territory that had been conceded by Republicans since 1988. Minnesota decides the race, putting McCain over the top. His margin is 0.2 percent: Gore came startlingly close to becoming a minority President.
