ABSTRACT
Campaigns matter—this is the simplest and most obvious lesson of the 2000 presidential election. Those who focused solely on the environment in which the election occurred—which was an extended period of economic prosperity, relative social tranquility with no major threat to the country’s national security, a period during which the sitting president received high public approval despite the personal and political scandals that marred his presidency and culminated in his impeachment—all predicted that the incumbent vice president would win. That he did not suggests that policy, personality, and performance can and do make a difference; that scripting, staging, and strategizing are important and do affect election outcomes.
