Bush and Gore Sweep to Easy Wins in Colorado and Utah

Strategic Insights -

In a decisive victory, Governor George W. Bush and Vice President Al Gore won the Colorado and Utah presidential primaries with ease, solidifying their positions in the quest for their respective party nominations. The contests, held in the wake of Senator John McCain's and former Senator Bill Bradley's withdrawal from the races, marked a significant turning point in the primaries, with Bush and Gore now poised to clinch their nominations. With a robust grassroots effort led by Governor Bill Owens, Bush won Colorado's 40 delegates with 65% of the vote, while Gore secured the Democratic nomination with 71% of the vote in the same state.

Key Takeaways:

  • Governor George W. Bush won Colorado's 40 delegates with 65% of the vote, securing 28 of the 40 available delegates, while John McCain trailed behind with 27% and Alan Keyes with 7%.
  • Vice President Al Gore won the Democratic primary in Colorado with 71% of the vote, leaving Bill Bradley with 23% and uncommitted votes with 4%.
  • Bush also swept Utah's 29 delegates, taking all available delegates in the winner-take-all primary, while Gore secured 8 of the 29 delegates after polling 73% of the vote in Utah.
  • Wyoming's Republican voters, in a non-binding straw poll, awarded 19 of 22 delegates to Bush, 2 to McCain, and 1 to Alan Keyes.
  • The Colorado and Utah primaries were part of an aborted effort to organize Western states into a pivotal bloc, which lost its significance after McCain and Bradley shut down their campaigns.
  • A CNN-Time poll released on the same day showed Bush and Gore in a tight battle, with 48% of respondents backing Gore and 46% backing Bush.

Statistics:

  • Bush now has 674 delegates after securing the Colorado and Utah winnings, bringing him within 360 delegates of the needed 1,034 for the GOP nomination.
  • Gore has accumulated 1,582 delegates after the Colorado and Utah primaries, leaving him 588 delegates shy of securing the Democratic nomination.
  • Approximately 341 delegates will be up for grabs in the next primary, including 124 in Texas and 80 in Florida, where Bush's brother Jeb is governor.
  • Two-thirds of Colorado GOP voters identified as conservatives, and nearly 20% of Utah and Colorado voters reported that they would consider voting for a candidate outside of Bush and Gore in the November general election.

Sources:

  • "Bush Wins Colorado, Utah Primaries"
  • Associated Press
  • "Colorado and Utah Vote Summary"
  • CNN-Time Poll, March 10, 2000
  • Delegate summary, March 10, 2000