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The 2000 United States presidential election in West Virginia took place on November 7, 2000 as part of the 2000 United States presidential election. Voters chose 5 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

West Virginia gave its 5 electoral votes to the Republican nominee, Governor of Texas George W. Bush, marking the first time a Republican carried the state since Ronald Reagan in 1984, and only the fourth time since 1928. While West Virginia was traditionally a Democratic stronghold, this election marked the beginning of a political realignment. West Virginia would become the only state to vote against George H. W. Bush twice and for George W. Bush twice. It is also the only state lost by George H. W. Bush in 1988 to be carried by George W. Bush in 2000. The state was also won by Bill Clinton twice but voted against Gore who at the time of the 2000 presidential election was serving under Clinton as Vice President. As of the 2020 presidential election, this is the last election in which the Democratic candidate won Kanawha County, Harrison County, Lincoln County, and Wyoming County. This was the first time since 1928 that a non-incumbent Republican won West Virginia, and was only the fourth time since that election where a Democrat lost the state. Gore's environmental advocacy was particularly damaging in the state of West Virginia, a strong coal mining state. Gore also didn't campaign sufficiently in the state, which led to his defeat by a relatively comfortable margin in favor of Bush.

As of 2020, this is the last presidential election in which a Democrat won any congressional district in the state and the last time the state was won by single digits.

In this election, West Virginia voted 6.84% to the right of the nation at-large.[1]

Primaries

Results

2000 United States presidential election in West Virginia
Party Candidate Running mate Popular vote Electoral vote Swing
Count % Count %
Republican George W. Bush of Texas Dick Cheney of Wyoming 336,475 51.92% 5 100.00% Increase15.16%
Democratic Al Gore of Tennessee Joe Lieberman of Connecticut 295,497 45.59% 0 0.00% Decrease5.92%
Green Ralph Nader of Connecticut Winona LaDuke of Minnesota 10,680 1.65% 0 0.00% Increase1.65%
Reform Pat Buchanan of Virginia Ezola B. Foster of California 3,169 0.49% 0 0.00% Decrease10.77%
Libertarian Harry Browne of Tennessee Art Olivier of California 1,912 0.30% 0 0.00% Decrease0.18%
Constitution Howard Phillips of Virginia Darrell Castle of Tennessee 23 0.00% 0 0.00% Steady
Natural Law John Hagelin of Iowa Nat Goldhaber of California 367 0.06% 0 0.00% Increase0.06%
Write-in Various of Various Various of Various 1 0.00% 0 0.00% Steady
Total 648,124 100.00% 5 100.00%

By county

County George W. Bush
Republican
Al Gore
Democratic
Various candidates
Other parties
Margin Total
# % # % # % # %
Barbour 3,411 56.37% 2,503 41.37% 137 2.26% 908 15.00% 6,051
Berkeley 13,619 59.19% 8,797 38.23% 594 2.58% 4,822 20.96% 23,010
Boone 3,353 36.68% 5,656 61.88% 132 1.44% -2,303 -25.20% 9,141
Braxton 2,529 47.47% 2,719 51.03% 80 1.50% -190 -3.56% 5,328
Brooke 4,195 44.60% 4,678 49.74% 532 5.66% -483 -5.14% 9,405
Cabell 16,440 51.03% 14,896 46.24% 880 2.73% 1,544 4.79% 32,216
Calhoun 1,425 54.49% 1,112 42.52% 78 2.98% 313 11.97% 2,615
Clay 1,887 52.68% 1,617 45.14% 78 2.18% 270 7.54% 3,582
Doddridge 1,955 69.42% 773 27.45% 88 3.13% 1,182 41.97% 2,816
Fayette 5,897 40.34% 8,371 57.26% 351 2.40% -2,474 -16.92% 14,619
Gilmer 1,560 56.93% 1,092 39.85% 88 3.21% 468 17.08% 2,740
Grant 3,571 78.76% 891 19.65% 72 1.59% 2,680 59.11% 4,534
Greenbrier 6,866 53.61% 5,627 43.93% 315 2.46% 1,239 9.68% 12,808
Hampshire 3,879 63.62% 2,069 33.93% 149 2.44% 1,810 29.69% 6,097
Hancock 6,458 47.94% 6,249 46.39% 765 5.68% 209 1.55% 13,472
Hardy 2,816 62.38% 1,621 35.91% 77 1.71% 1,195 26.47% 4,514
Harrison 12,948 48.72% 13,009 48.95% 621 2.34% -61 -0.23% 26,578
Jackson 6,341 55.05% 4,937 42.86% 240 2.08% 1,404 12.19% 11,518
Jefferson 7,045 49.00% 6,860 47.71% 473 3.29% 185 1.29% 14,378
Kanawha 36,809 48.01% 38,524 50.25% 1,337 1.74% -1,715 -2.24% 76,670
Lewis 3,606 58.79% 2,355 38.39% 173 2.82% 1,251 20.40% 6,134
Lincoln 3,389 45.40% 3,939 52.77% 136 1.82% -550 -7.37% 7,464
Logan 5,334 36.94% 8,927 61.83% 178 1.23% -3,593 -24.89% 14,439
Marion 9,972 43.60% 12,315 53.84% 586 2.56% -2,343 -10.24% 22,873
Marshall 6,859 50.81% 6,000 44.45% 639 4.73% 859 6.36% 13,498
Mason 5,972 53.21% 4,963 44.22% 288 2.57% 1,009 8.99% 11,223
McDowell 2,348 32.15% 4,845 66.34% 110 1.51% -2,497 -34.19% 7,303
Mercer 10,206 54.07% 8,347 44.22% 322 1.71% 1,859 9.85% 18,875
Mineral 6,180 63.18% 3,341 34.15% 261 2.67% 2,839 29.03% 9,782
Mingo 3,866 38.49% 6,049 60.23% 128 1.27% -2,183 -21.74% 10,043
Monongalia 13,595 49.68% 12,603 46.05% 1,169 4.27% 992 3.63% 27,367
Monroe 2,940 57.21% 2,094 40.75% 105 2.04% 846 16.46% 5,139
Morgan 3,639 63.05% 1,939 33.59% 194 3.36% 1,700 29.46% 5,772
Nicholas 4,359 50.81% 4,059 47.31% 161 1.88% 300 3.50% 8,579
Ohio 9,607 53.48% 7,653 42.60% 704 3.92% 1,954 10.88% 17,964
Pendleton 1,996 61.97% 1,172 36.39% 53 1.65% 824 25.58% 3,221
Pleasants 1,884 58.73% 1,267 39.50% 57 1.78% 617 19.23% 3,208
Pocahontas 1,970 56.82% 1,392 40.15% 105 3.03% 578 16.67% 3,467
Preston 6,607 63.29% 3,515 33.67% 317 3.04% 3,092 29.62% 10,439
Putnam 12,173 59.60% 7,891 38.63% 362 1.77% 4,282 20.97% 20,426
Raleigh 12,587 52.31% 11,047 45.91% 427 1.77% 1,540 6.40% 24,061
Randolph 5,248 55.00% 4,028 42.21% 266 2.79% 1,220 12.79% 9,542
Ritchie 2,717 71.27% 1,024 26.86% 71 1.86% 1,693 44.41% 3,812
Roane 3,172 56.39% 2,332 41.46% 121 2.15% 840 14.93% 5,625
Summers 2,304 48.89% 2,299 48.78% 110 2.33% 5 0.11% 4,713
Taylor 3,124 54.69% 2,473 43.29% 115 2.01% 651 11.40% 5,712
Tucker 1,935 57.83% 1,319 39.42% 92 2.75% 616 18.41% 3,346
Tyler 2,582 65.73% 1,214 30.91% 132 3.36% 1,368 34.82% 3,928
Upshur 5,165 63.58% 2,770 34.10% 188 2.31% 2,395 29.48% 8,123
Wayne 7,993 49.21% 7,940 48.89% 308 1.90% 53 0.32% 16,241
Webster 1,484 44.86% 1,764 53.33% 60 1.81% -280 -8.47% 3,308
Wetzel 3,239 51.51% 2,849 45.31% 200 3.18% 390 6.20% 6,288
Wirt 1,518 63.73% 818 34.34% 46 1.93% 700 29.39% 2,382
Wood 20,428 60.34% 12,664 37.40% 765 2.26% 7,764 22.94% 33,857
Wyoming 3,473 44.08% 4,289 54.44% 116 1.47% -816 -10.36% 7,878
Totals 336,475 51.92% 295,497 45.59% 16,152 2.49% 40,978 6.32% 648,124

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

By congressional district

Bush won 2 of the 3 congressional districts, including one that elected a Democrat.[2]

District Bush Gore Representative
1st 54% 43% Alan Mollohan
2nd 54% 44% Bob Wise
Shelley Moore Capito
3rd 47% 51% Nick Rahall

References