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The 2000 Democratic presidential primaries were the selection process by which voters of the Democratic Party chose its nominee for President of the United States in the 2000 U.S. presidential election. Incumbent Vice President Al Gore was selected as the nominee through a series of primary elections and caucuses culminating in the 2000 Democratic National Convention held from August 14 to August 17, 2000, in Los Angeles, California, but he went on to lose the general election against Governor George W. Bush held on November 7th of that year, despite winning the popular vote by 0.5% points.
The apparent front runner, Vice President Albert Gore Jr. of Tennessee, only faced one candidate in the primaries, U.S. Senator Bill Bradley of New Jersey. The two campaigned to succeed the 1992 and 1996 nominee, President Bill Clinton. During the course of the five-month primary season, Gore had managed to win every single primary contest over his rival, and was easily declared the party's nominee for the 2000 Election.
Serious early speculation surrounded Bill Bradley, a U.S. Senator and former basketball player for the New York Knicks, who had long been considered a potential Democratic contender for the presidency. In December 1998, Bradley formed a presidential exploratory committee and began organizing a campaign. Gore, however, had been considered the favorite for the Democratic nomination as early as 1997, with the commencement of President Bill Clinton’s second term. Though numerous candidates for the Democratic nomination tested the waters, including Senator John Kerry, Governor Howard Dean, Representative Richard Gephardt, and Reverend Jesse Jackson, only Gore and Bradley ultimately entered the contest.