Federalism in the 2000 presidential election

Abstract

Federalism was not an explicitly prominent feature of the 2000 presidential election, but it exerted significant influence in shaping the political landscape as well as the candidates' positions on the role and purposes of the federal government. America's federal system created powerful undercurrents that influenced the selection of the two major presidential candidates, the campaign issues, and the candidates' messages. At the same time, George W. Bush and Albert Gore differed considerably in their answers to how the United States' federal system should function and the objectives it should seek. Bush favored a federal government that promotes economic opportunity through a marketplace and allows state and local governments to determine their own moral and policy objectives. Gore preferred a national commonwealth, where the federal government determines the moral objectives and the states cooperate to achieve those objectives.