8 0 51.0% 44.5% | 781,652 685,341 Start date November 7, 2000 | |
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The 2000 United States presidential election in Arizona took place on November 7, 2000 throughout all 50 states and D.C., which was part of the 2000 United States presidential election. Voters chose 8 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for President and Vice President.
Arizona was won by Governor George W. Bush by a 6.3% margin of victory. Ralph Nader received 3%, as all of the other candidates received a combined 1%. Pre-election polling showed that Bush had a solid lead of Gore. Bush won all the congressional districts, except Arizona's 2nd congressional district. The key for Bush's victory was Maricopa County, which has by far the highest population in the state. Bush made history by winning Greenlee County. This thinly populated working class county, which has been dependent on copper mining as the basis for its economy, had voted Democratic in every election since Arizona achieved statehood from 1912 to 1996, and now is a Republican stronghold in the 21st century.
Electors
Technically the voters of Arizona cast their ballots for electors: representatives to the Electoral College. Arizona is allocated 10 electors because it has 8 congressional districts and 2 senators. All candidates who appear on the ballot or qualify to receive write-in votes must submit a list of 10 electors, who pledge to vote for their candidate and his or her running mate. Whoever wins the majority of votes in the state is awarded all 10 electoral votes. Their chosen electors then vote for President and Vice President. Although electors are pledged to their candidate and running mate, they are not obligated to vote for them. An elector who votes for someone other than his or her candidate is known as a faithless elector.
The electors of each state and the District of Columbia met on December 18, 2000 to cast their votes for President and Vice President. The Electoral College itself never meets as one body. Instead the electors from each state and the District of Columbia met in their respective capitols.
The following were the members of the Electoral College from the state. All were pledged to and voted for George W. Bush and Dick Cheney:
- Joe Arpaio
- Linda Barber
- Dennis Booth
- Webb Crockett
- Paul Robert Fannin
- LaVelle McCoy
- Susan Minnaugh
- Frank Straka