Why did bush do so bad in the Northeast in 2000?

[Matty]

Was there a particular policy they didn’t like that bush was running on?

Both gore and bush were southern, so neither candidate was an ideal “fit”, so just wondering what was going on here


Also, why did mountain west and upper mountain west swing so hard to bush?

[darklordoftech]

- The Northeast tends to be well-educated, and Bush came off as “dumb” and Gore as “smart”.

- The Northeast is friendly to LGBT rights and dislikes Clarence Thomas and the GOP’s decision to impeach Clinton.

- Global Warming was already accepted as fact in the Northeast, and the Northeast tends to see environmentalism positively. This made Gore appealing and Cheney alienating.

- Columbine created a demand for strict gun laws in the Northeast.

- The Mountain West and Upper Mountain West are hostile to environmentalism, and Gore is mr. environment himself.

- Cheney was Wyoming’s at-large Representative, so his presence on the ticket might have helped Bush in the region.

[MIKESOWELL]

I'm pretty sure that Bush's accent and his ties to the Religious Right didn't help him in the Northeast. The Al Gore of 2000 was a virtual 180 degree turn from the Al Gore of 1988.

[Sol]

In addition to all of the above, Lieberman was the first Jewish American person on a presidential ticket--leading to a stronger performance in the much of the NE, which is more Jewish than the rest of the country.

[Non Swing Voter]

The above answers are all correct.  Also, being someone (old) who remembers this election quite well, the Bush campaign made a concerted effort to pitch northeasterners as out of touch with "real" America (i.e., southerners).  This helped him win states like WV, OH, TN (which were needed and not guarantees at the time) but really tanked his numbers throughout the Northeast.  This election was really the start of the current alignment we are in except now it's less North vs. South as much as it's big metro areas vs. rural (which largely translates into coastal vs. interior).  I blame Bush and his cronies much more than Trump for the hyper polarization of the modern electorate.

[darklordoftech]

Gingrich forever turned much of the Northeast against the GOP.

[538Electoral]

Lieberman was part of it.