Texas was won by the Republican Party candidate, the state's incumbent governor, George W. Bush, by a 21.32% margin of victory. This was the first time since 1928 that Cottle County voted Republican. Many counties that Bill Clinton won in 1996 swung towards Bush in this election, in part due to the increasingly conservative bent of rural areas and Bush's favorite son status within the state. This election marked a realignment within the state, as most rural counties, particularly in West Texas and East Texas, shifted permanently towards Republicans at the presidential level.
Perhaps the most notable and surprising county to be won by Bush was the very liberal Travis County. A factor in Bush's win in the county was to the strong showing of left-wing third-party candidate Ralph Nader, who got 10.37% of the vote on the Green ticket, his best showing in any Texas county. Had Nader not run, it is likely that Gore would have carried the county, albeit only narrowly.[2]
^Southwell, Priscilla L (September 1, 2004). "Nader voters in the 2000 Presidential Election: what would they have done without him?". The Social Science Journal. 41 (3): 423–431. doi:10.1016/j.soscij.2004.04.009. S2CID144552793.
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