ABSTRACT
Yet, at the outset of the 2002 election campaign, Democratic Party leadership was engaged in a serious debate about whether Al Gore’s close loss in 2000 was because he focused on populist issues too much.2 Many high-profile Democrats, including Gore’s own running mate, Joe Lieberman, argued that Gore could have won in 2000 if he had emphasized centrist rhetoric rather than populist appeals. From governors to pollsters, Democrats all blamed Gore’s “the people versus the powerful” message for his defeat in key border states such as Missouri.
