2000 Presidential Election (Halley Series)

The 2000 United States presidential election was the 53rd quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 7, 2000. Democratic nominee, incumbent President Bill Clinton defeated Republican nominee, Texas Governor George W. Bush after one of the most heated election of U.S. history. This elections also marked an end to the 44 year trend where no President was re-elected to a second consecutive term. President Clinton annonced his bid for re-election in his first State of the Union address in 1997, stating, "I intend fully to run for re-election and win". Many Democrats were un-happy by this very early annoncement. Because of the early annoncement by Clinton, many Republicans annonced in late 1997 and early 1998. Though many news outlets did not take those canidates seriously. In 1999, many high-profile Republicans announced. The top 2 frontrunner were; Pat Buchanan, the former White House Communications Director under President Reagan from 1977 to 1978. And George W. Bush, the former Lt. Gov. of Texas, and 1996 Vice Presidential Canidate. By mid-March, Buchanan back out after many Tax-related scandals. Bush easily won the nomination. By the start, the race looked close. Clinton's approval rating was 44% and Democrat's overall was 39%. On November 5, 2 days before the election, NBC gave Clinton a 44% chance of winning, while giving Bush a 56% chance. Clinton also had to overcome the 44 year trend where no President had been successfully consecutively re-elected. The 2000 presidential election between Democratic incumbent President Bill Clinton and Republican nominee George W. Bush was a close race, with both candidates receiving 260 electoral votes and Georgia and Florida remaining too close to call. On November 7, Florida was called for Bush, giving him a lead of 264 electoral votes to Clinton's 260.

However, the Georgia Elections Board ordered a statewide recount on November 9, citing the need for a "free and fair election." As the recount progressed, Bush's lead in Georgia dwindled to just 254 votes, prompting speculation of a possible lawsuit over recount practices. On November 12, the Georgia Supreme Court suspended the recount after Bush sued both Clinton and the Georgia Elections Board.

The court later debated the case, with both Clinton and Bush supporters clashing outside the courthouse. On November 22, the Georgia Supreme Court upheld the Georgia Elections Board's motion to be dismissed from the case, which was seen as a potential win for Clinton. The recount was set to continue, with the Georgia Supreme Court ruling that it was constitutional within the state's constitution. As the recount progressed, Bush's lead in Georgia narrowed to just 34 votes, prompting the possibility of an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The recount was put on hold as the U.S. Supreme Court accepted the request for Bush v. Clinton. There were also incidents of violence between supporters of both candidates, including a riot outside the Supreme Court that left five people injured. The U.S. Marshals eventually discovered 300 uncounted votes in Cobb County, and the Supreme Court decided to allow them to be counted. This decision ultimately gave Clinton the lead by just four votes.

On December 20, Clinton won the election after the Supreme Court ruled in his favor, and Bush conceded hours later. Clinton became the first president to be reelected in 44 years. The final recount showed that Clinton won Georgia and the election by a narrow margin of 11 votes out of over 3 million cast in Georgia and 100 million cast nationally.