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The University Daily Kansan
Tuesday, January 25, 2000
Iowa Caucuses
Gore, Bush big victors in Iowa caucuses
The Associated Press
DES MOINES, Iowa — Opening the presidential election season, Republican George W. Bush won Iowa's caucuses in a closer-than-expected race against conservative publisher Steve Forbes. Vice President Al Gore breezed to a Democratic victory against Bill Bradley and declared, "I can't wait to get to New Hampshire."
Forbes' showing set the stage for a three-way showdown in New Hampshire's Feb. 1 primary. Sen. John McCain of Arizona holds a slight lead in most GOP polls in that state and hoped to sustain it even after bypassing Iowa where Forbes took advantage.
Bush described the caucus results as a record-shattering validation of his compassionate conservative agenda. "It's a solid victory, and I'm humbled," he told the Associated Press as the presidential campaigns put the best-possible spins on their finishes.
win the nomination."
"We vastly overperformed the polls and have emerged as the conservative candidate (going into New Hampshire)." Forbes said. "I'll take more losses like that, and I'll
With results from 66 percent of Iowa's counties, Bush had 41 percent of the caucus vote and Forbes 30 percent. Former ambassador. Alan Keyes was a respectable third at 14 percent, with Gary Bauer at 9 percent, John McCain at 5 and Orrin Hatch lust 1.
Bradley: Viewed defeat as just a bump in the road
Forbes mounted, and funded, a particularly vigorous campaign here, calling on fundamentalist and conservative support to the more
2000
Race for President
moderate Bush. McCain declined to campaign here, showing up in the state only for two debates. Keyes bested Bauer in the drive for support from conservative social activists. Hatch never gained a constituency and was sure to review his candidacy.
Among Democrats, Gore was winning 66 percent of the state's 47 Democratic nominating delegates, compared to 33 percent for Bradley, according to results from sample precincts.
Gore's big margin blunted Bradley's challenge going into New Hampshire next week where Bradley has polled even with Gore, or even ahead. A relative said Bradley viewed his defeat as just a bump in the road.
In a sign of tie-fat-to来 to come, Gore accused Bradley of going negative in the final days of the Iowa race — and said the tactic backfired.
"I think it was a mistake for his campaign to go to the so-called negative approach, but I'm not complaining," Gore said. "Based on what I've heard from from the voters out here, they didn't expect that and didn't like it."
The caucuses were expected to draw no more than 100,000 voters from each party, concluding a lengthy runup of debates, fund raising and grass-roots campaigning here. Iowa launches the presidential race into a frantic six-week stretch, with the New Hampshire primary a week away.
Iowans were attending caucuses at 2,100 sites across the sprawling state. In a display of basic grassroots politics, voters here brave the winter weather and visit classrooms, libraries, fire stations, church basements, grain co-ops and even a few private homes to play
their unique role in the American political sys-
The process will yield 47 delegates to the Democratic convention and 25 delegates to the GOP convention, a tiny fraction of the total a candidate needs to win the nomination.
Forbes: Mounted and funded a vigorous campaign in Iowa
ly to earn 11 delegates of Iowa's 25 nominating delegates, compared to seven for Forbes, four for Keys, two for Bauer and one for McCain.
An AP analysis showed that Bush was like
In an interview, Bush said, "We have a record-shattering victory tonight. I'm grateful for the outpouring of support my message of compassionate conservatism has
received, and I'm looking forward to taking it to the state of New Hampshire."
Bush noted that the highest percentage achieved by a GOP victor in Iowa was 37.4, when eventual nominee Bob Dole beat Pat Robertson in 1988. Robertson's 24.6 percent was a surprise, and it staggered the candidacy of then-Vice President George Bush, who came in third.
On the Democratic side, Gore and Bradley differed in tone more than substance. They clashed primarily about alternative approaches to federal health insurance policy. While Bradley promised to provide big ideas to solve a few big problems. Gore said the next president should not limit himself to a handful of issues.
After a ragged start, Gore led Bradley by more than 20 percentage points in most pre-caucus polls. A string of setbacks, including recurrence of a minor heart condition, threw Bradley off track in the final week.