Gore's Past
Comes Back to Help Him
By Robert Kweit, professor of political science at The University of North
Dakota
 |
March 8, 2000, 3:05pm EST-- The Clinton Administration has been good to North Dakota and North Dakota Democrats were good to Vice President Al Gore in the first state Democratic Presidential Caucuses on March 7, 2000.
Gore received 78% of the vote compared to 22% for Bill Bradley in North Dakota's non-binding straw poll. Though convention delegates will be chosen at the Democratic State Convention in April, party organizers are expected to use the caucus vote as a guideline. This would give Gore 11 delegates and Bradley 3.
There was not much excitement or suspense surrounding the vote, and statewide only about 2,300 people participated, about one-quarter of the turnout for last week's Republican Caucuses. Although Gore was a big winner March 7, he faces an uphill battle in the general election because, despite an all-Democratic congressional delegation, no Democratic Presidential candidate has carried the state since the 1964 election of Lyndon Johnson.
Both President Clinton and Vice President Gore visited after the massive flooding of the Red River in 1997 and they have supported large grants to help the cities involved recover. They have also been helpful in dealing with other water problems as well as with aid to agriculture, so overwhelming support for Gore here is not surprising.
Bill Bradley, on the other hand, was not been seen as a friend of agriculture. Senator Conrad noted that Bradley was outspoken against aid to sugar farmers. With many sugar beet farmers in the Red River Valley, that did not help Bradley in the state. While Gore is noted for his strong stand on the environment, which might be detrimental to agriculture and the energy industry, Senator Dorgan assured state Democrats that Gore was not a radical environmentalist. Gore was also portrayed as having a better understanding of rural areas than Bradley, the former Senator from New Jersey.
Gore has had an organization in the state for several months. State party chair Darrin Lee said a man from Fargo was organizing the Bradley campaign, though the Grand Forks Herald newspaper reported that Bradley's official Web site listed no North Dakota contacts. Such a stealth campaign did not pay off.
