The warmups are over. Here comes the real race! After overwhelming primary victories on March 7 and 14, Vice President Al Gore and Texas Governor George W. Bush have clinched their parties' presidential nominations. Gore, a Democrat, needed 2,170 delegates; he has 2,575. Republican Bush has 1,102 delegates, 68 more than required by his party.
Losses in the Super Tuesday primaries of March 7 had forced the candidates' main rivals, Republican John McCain and Democrat Bill Bradley, out of the running. Interest and voter turnout for the March 14 primary were low. But victory was still sweet for Bush and Gore.
Now the candidates are focused on the November 7 election, and they've come out swinging! Bush and Gore have begun trading accusations. Gore criticized Bush's tax-cut plan and his commitment to changing the way candidates raise money. Bush questioned his opponent's trustworthiness. He said, "The Gore campaign will say anything to try to win at any cost." Who will get the last word? We'll see in November.