The 2000 Democratic National Convention was a quadrennial presidential nominating convention for the Democratic Party. The convention nominated

Vice President A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American former politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. He previously served as ...

for

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

and

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

Joe Lieberman Joseph Isadore Lieberman (; February 24, 1942 – March 27, 2024) was an American politician and lawyer who served as a United States senator from Connecticut from 1989 to 2013. Originally a member of the Democratic Party (United States), Dem ...

from

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

for vice president. The convention was held at the

Staples Center Crypto.com Arena (originally and colloquially known as Staples Center) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in downtown Los Angeles. Opened on October 17, 1999, as Staples Center, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along F ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

from August 14 to August 17, 2000. Gore accepted the presidential nomination on August 17, the final night of the convention.

Logistics

Site selection

The

Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the principal executive leadership board of the United States's Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party. According to the party charter, it has "general responsibility for the affairs of the ...

(DNC) initially invited 28 cities to bid for the convention. The "preliminary general requirements" that the Democratic Party asked of bidding cities was to be able to provide 20,000 high-quality hotel rooms within 30 minutes of the venue, and for the venue to capable of holding 25,000 counting both fixed seating and floor seating. Nine cities submitted proposals. Of these, seven cities (

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

, and

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

) received visits from DNC representatives. All except New Orleans were offering new venues that had been constructed in the 1990s. Philadelphia withdrew its bid after being selected as the host of the 2000 Republican National Convention. Boston, Denver, and Los Angeles were named as finalists. On March 15, 1999, the DNC announced Los Angeles as the site of the convention. This was the second Democratic National Convention to be held in Los Angeles, with the first having been the 1960 convention. The other finalist cities would host the two following Democratic National Conventions; Boston hosted the 2004 convention while Denver hosted the 2008 convention. Co-chairman of the committee leading Los Angeles' bid for the convention included

Eli Broad Eli Broad ( ; June 6, 1933April 30, 2021) was an American businessman and philanthropist. In June 2019, ''Forbes'' ranked him as the 233rd-wealthiest person in the world and the 78th-wealthiest in the United States, with an estimated net worth of ...

and

David Geffen David Lawrence Geffen (born February 21, 1943) is an American film producer, record executive, and media proprietor. In music, he co-founded Asylum Records with Elliot Roberts in 1971 before founding Geffen Records in 1980, DGC Records in 1 ...

, among others. The effort for Los Angeles to host was modeled after the private/public venture used to stage the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the ...

in Los Angeles. The city decided to bid only for the Democratic convention, and not seek the Republican convention because they felt that the odds of Republicans holding a convention in California was unlikely since the 1996 Republican National Convention was in

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

, California.

Scheduling

Since the mid-20th century or earlier, it has been tradition for the party of the incumbent president to hold their convention after that of the other major party. In 2000, Republicans held their convention July 31 through August 3. On April 16, 1999

Chair of the Democratic National Committee The chair of the Democratic National Committee is the party chair and ''de-jure'' leader of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party. The chair manages the day-to-day affairs and operations of the Democratic National Committee (DN ...

Joe Andrew announced that the convention would take place August 14–17.

Security

At both the 2000 major party presidential nominating conventions, security was heightened compared to that of past conventions.

Crowd control Crowd control is a public security practice in which large crowds are managed in order to prevent the outbreak of crowd crushes, affray, fights involving drunk and disorderly people or riots. Crowd crushes in particular can cause many hundre ...

security concerns were heightened at the Democratic convention due to a number of the organizations behind the activities of the

1999 Seattle WTO protests The 1999 Seattle WTO protests, sometimes referred to as the Battle of Seattle, were a series of anti-globalization protests surrounding the WTO Ministerial Conference of 1999, where members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) convened at the ...

pledging to protest in Los Angeles during the convention. Also, still in recent memory, was the

1992 Los Angeles riots The 1992 Los Angeles riots were a series of riots and civil disturbances that occurred in Los Angeles County, California, United States, during April and May 1992. Unrest began in South Los Angeles, South Central Los Angeles on April 29, after ...

. In the fall of 1999, the Democratic National Convention Committee established a security task force, bringing together the convention's logistics team, the

Los Angeles Police Department The City of Los Angeles Police Department, commonly referred to as Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), is the primary law enforcement agency of Los Angeles, California, United States. With 8,832 officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the th ...

, the

Los Angeles Fire Department The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD or LA City Fire) provides firefighting services and technical rescue services, hazardous materials services, and emergency medical services to the residents of the city of Los Angeles, California, United ...

, the

United States Secret Service The United States Secret Service (USSS or Secret Service) is a federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Homeland Security tasked with conducting criminal investigations and providing protection to American political leaders, thei ...

, and other agencies of the federal, state, and municipal levels. Ken Banner served as the convention's director of security.

Stage design

Per a Democratic National Convention Committee's press release, the stage of the convention was elevated five feet above the floor of the arena, was roughly 3,700 square feet in area (with the

podium A podium (: podiums or podia) is a platform used to raise something to a short distance above its surroundings. In architecture a building can rest on a large podium. Podiums can also be used to raise people, for instance the conductor of a ...

measuring 1,825 square feet, the orchestra measuring 1,225 square feet, and the camera turrets measuring 720 square feet), and had an 18 × 30 foot video screen. The podium's

lectern A lectern is a standing reading desk with a slanted top, on which documents or books are placed as support for reading aloud, as in a scripture reading, lecture, or sermon. A lectern is usually attached to a stand or affixed to some other form of ...

was able to be mechanically lowered beneath the stage, and the walls located behind both sides of the lectern could also be raised from on the stage. The podium was painted with water-based non-toxic paint, with the colors being Red 199, Blue 300, TV White (Cool Gray #3), and Metal Effects platinum #ME222. Rene Lagler, who had been the interior designer for the 1988,

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

, and

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

conventions, designed the podium, in addition to designing the central camera platform and also working on both the convention's interior and exterior design. Bob Dickenson served as the convention's lighting designer, and Batrick Baltzell served as its audio designer.

Convention leadership

Ron Gonzales and Blanche Lincoln served as co-chairs of the convention's credentials committee.

Mary Landrieu Mary Loretta Landrieu ( ; born November 23, 1955) is an American entrepreneur and politician who served as a United States senator from Louisiana from 1997 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, Landrieu served as the Louisiana State Treasu ...

and

Gary Locke Gary Faye Locke (born January 21, 1950) is an American politician, attorney, and former diplomat from the State of Washington. Locke served as the 21st governor of Washington from 1997 to 2005, where he was the first Chinese-American governor ...

served as co-chairs of the convention's rules committee. The co-chairs of the convention's platform committee were

Sharon Sayles Belton Sharon Sayles Belton (born May 13, 1951) is an American community leader, politician and activist. She is Vice President of Community Relations and Government Affairs for Thomson Reuters Legal business. She served as List of mayors of Minneapoli ...

and

Dick Durbin Richard Joseph Durbin (born November 21, 1944) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States senator from the state of Illinois, a seat he has held since 1997. A member of the Dem ...

. Its vice chairs included Bob Butterworth, James Hunt Jr., Jack Reed. Other members of the committee included Jim Davis and C. Jack Ellis,

Eleanor Holmes Norton Eleanor Holmes Norton (born June 13, 1937) is an American politician, lawyer, and human rights activist. Norton is a congressional delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives, where she has represented the District of Columbia since 1991 as ...

. The chair of the platform drafting committee had been James Hunt Jr. Members of the platform drafting committee included Bill Purcell.

Democratic National Convention Committee

On September 21, 1999, a number of members of the convention's leadership were announced. Lydia Camarillo was announced as the convention's

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

(CEO). Donald J. Foley was announced as

chief operating officer A chief operating officer (COO), also called chief operations officer, is an executive in charge of the daily operations of an organization (i.e. personnel, resources, and logistics). COOs are usually second-in-command immediately after the C ...

(COO) of the convention. Rod O'Connor was announced as the chief of staff for the convention. Jeff Modisett was announced as deputy CEO and general

counsel A counsel or a counsellor at law is a person who gives advice and deals with various issues, particularly in legal matters. It is a title often used interchangeably with the title of ''lawyer''. The word ''counsel'' can also mean advice given ...

for the convention. Katreice Banks was announced as deputy CEO for external affairs. Mona Pasquil was announced as deputy CEO for community relations. It was also announced that Yolanda Caraway would consult with the conventions for external affairs, credentials, and productions. Jaci Wilson was announced as the convention's director of housing. Ofield Dukes was announced as one of the convention's communications consultants. On September 23, 1999,

Roy Romer Roy Rudolf Romer (born October 31, 1928) is an American politician who served as the 39th Governor of Colorado from 1987 to 1999, and subsequently as the superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District from 2000 to 2006. Romer was a ...

was announced as chair of the Democratic National Convention Committee. On December 9, 1999, additional convention staff were announced for the Democratic National Convention Committee. Anette Avina was announced as senior advisor to the CEO and director of special projects. Travis Berry was announced as senior advisor to the chairman and director of special projects. Simone M. Greene was announced as special assistant to the COO. Cindy M. Lott was announced as deputy general counsel. Liana Shwarz was announced as special assistant to the CEO. Lou Vasta was announced as director of logistics and operations. Luis Vizcaino was announced as the DNCC's press secretary. On February 23, 2000, the Democratic National Convention Committee announced three key members of its convention security task force. Ken Banner was announced as director of security. John Vezeris and Joseph A. Masonis were announced as managing directors of the task force. On March 10, 2000, Brian L. Wickersham was announced as the Democratic National Convention Committee's director of transportation, and Jeffery Lowery was announced as its deputy director of transportation. On April 27, 2000, the Democratic National Convention Committee's production team was announced. Gary Smith was announced as executive producer,

Ricky Kirshner Ricky Kirshner is an American television producer. Kirshner has won nine Emmy Awards out of 26 nominations. Early life Kirshner is the son of Don Kirshner. Career Kirshner partnered with Glenn Weiss to create White Cherry Entertainment. Kirshne ...

was announced as producer, and Thomas E. Gorman was announced as director of production.

Convention officers

Terry McAuliffe Terence Richard McAuliffe (born February 9, 1957) is an American businessman and politician who served as the List of governors of Virginia, 72nd governor of Virginia from 2014 to 2018. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrat ...

served as the chair of the convention. Paul E. Patton served as one of the co-chairs of the convention. Thurbert Baker,

Steny Hoyer Steny Hamilton Hoyer ( ; born June 14, 1939) is an American politician and retired attorney who has served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for since 1981. He also served as House Majority Leader from 2007 to 20 ...

, Patty Judge, and John S. Tanner served as parliamentarians.

Official themes

Each day of the convention was assigned a theme. The first day's theme was "Prosperity and Progress", highlighting the economic progress that had occurred under the Clinton–Gore administration. The second day's theme was "New Heights: You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet", focusing on the potential of the future if proper decisions are carried out by new leadership. The third day's theme was "Al Gore: The Principled Fighter", highlighting Al Gore's life story. The closing day's theme was "Al Gore's vision for the future".

Balloting

Gore was nominated unanimously, and during the roll-call vote for president,

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

's delegation was given the honor of putting Gore over-the-top as the official nominee. On the day before the convention started

Bill Bradley William Warren Bradley (born July 28, 1943) is an American politician and former professional basketball player. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he was a United States Senate, United States senator from New ...

released his delegates and directed them to vote for Gore. The votes of Bradley's delegates that wished to vote for him were registered as abstentions. The Balloting: Senator Joe Lieberman was nominated as the party's candidate for Vice President by voice vote. Lieberman's formal nomination took place on the closing night of the convention, despite him having delivered his acceptance speech the previous night.

Notable speakers

The keynote speaker of the convention was Congressman Harold Ford Jr. of

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

. The highlight of the first night of the convention was a speech given by President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

. Other notable speakers included Gore's opponent for the Democratic nomination, Senator

, First Lady

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...

, Senators

Christopher Dodd Christopher John Dodd (born May 27, 1944) is an American lobbyist, lawyer, and Democratic Party politician who served as a United States senator from Connecticut from 1981 to 2011. Dodd is the longest-serving senator in Connecticut's history. ...

and

Ted Kennedy Edward Moore Kennedy (February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009) was an American lawyer and politician from Massachusetts who served as a member of the United States Senate from 1962 to his death in 2009. A member of the Democratic Party and ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

, Former Treasury Secretary

Robert Rubin Robert Edward Rubin (born August 29, 1938) is an American retired banking executive, lawyer, and former Federal government of the United States, government official. He served as the 70th United States Secretary of the Treasury, U.S. secretary o ...

, and the Reverend

Jesse Jackson Jesse Louis Jackson (Birth name#Maiden and married names, né Burns; born October 8, 1941) is an American Civil rights movements, civil rights activist, Politics of the United States, politician, and ordained Baptist minister. Beginning as a ...

. Actor

Tommy Lee Jones Tommy Lee Jones (born September 15, 1946) is an American actor. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Tommy Lee Jones, various accolades including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Primetime Emmy Award and two Scre ...

, Gore's roommate in college, officially nominated the vice president.

Day 1

* Joe Andrew,

chair of the Democratic National Committee The chair of the Democratic National Committee is the party chair and ''de-jure'' leader of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party. The chair manages the day-to-day affairs and operations of the Democratic National Committee (DN ...

Dennis Archer Dennis Wayne Archer (born January 1, 1942) is an American lawyer, jurist and former politician from Michigan. A Democrat, Archer served as Justice on the Michigan Supreme Court and as mayor of Detroit. He later served as president of the Americ ...

mayor of Detroit This is a list of mayors of Detroit, in the U.S. state of Michigan. The current mayor is Mike Duggan, who was sworn into office on January 1, 2014. History of Detroit's executive authority During the earliest part of its history, Detroit was a ...

Barbara Boxer Barbara Sue Boxer (née Levy; born November 11, 1940) is a retired American politician, lobbyist, and former reporter who served in the United States Senate, representing California from 1993 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United St ...

United States senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

from California * Joseph Cari Jr., national finance co-chair of the Democratic National Committee * Linda Chavez-Thompson, vice chair of the Democratic National Committee and executive vice president of the

AFL–CIO The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) is a national trade union center that is the largest federation of unions in the United States. It is made up of 61 national and international unions, together r ...

, president of the United States *

first lady of the United States First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is a title typically held by the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never been Code of law, codified or offici ...

and Democratic nominee for United States Senate in New York * Michael B. Coleman, mayor of Columbus, Ohio *

Gray Davis Joseph Graham "Gray" Davis Jr. (born December 26, 1942) is an American attorney and former politician who served as the 37th governor of California from 1999 until he was recalled and removed from office in 2003. He is the second state governor ...

governor of California The governor of California is the head of government of the U.S. state of California. The Governor (United States), governor is the commander-in-chief of the California National Guard and the California State Guard. Established in the Constit ...

* Judi Dutcher,

Minnesota state auditor The state auditor of Minnesota is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of the U.S. state of Minnesota. Nineteen individuals have held the office of state auditor since statehood. The incumbent is Julie Blaha, a Democratic-Farmer-Labor ...

Dianne Feinstein Dianne Emiel Feinstein (; June 22, 1933 – September 29, 2023) was an American politician who served as a United States senator from California from 1992 until her death in 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, she served as the 38th ...

, United States senator from California * Ron Gonzales,

mayor of San Jose In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...

, United States congressman from

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

Joel Hyatt Joel Z. Hyatt (born Joel Hyatt Zylberberg; May 6, 1950) is an American entrepreneur and former politician. He founded Hyatt Legal Services, in which capacity he became a household name for many years, as he was featured in his firm's nationwide ...

, national finance co-chair of the Democratic National Committee * Patrick J. Kennedy, United States congressman from

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

, United States senator from

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

* Blanche Lincoln, United States senator from

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

, governor of Washington *

Tim Leiweke Timothy J. Leiweke (born April 21, 1957) is an American businessman who is the chief executive officer of Oak View Group. He was the former president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) and the former president and CEO of Anschutz ...

, CEO and president of

Anschutz Entertainment Group Anschutz Entertainment Group, Inc. (AEG), also known as AEG Worldwide, is an American global sporting and music entertainment presenter and a subsidiary of the Anschutz Corporation. It is the world's largest owner of sports teams and sports ...

Alexis Herman Alexis Margaret Herman (July 16, 1947 – April 25, 2025) was an American political figure who served as the 23rd United States secretary of labor from 1997 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. She was the first Black Americans, Black American ...

, United States secretary of labor *

Roger Mahony Roger Michael Mahony (born February 27, 1936) is an American Catholic retired prelate who served as Archbishop of Los Angeles from 1985 to 2011. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Fresno from 1975 to 1980 and Bis ...

Roman Catholic archdiocese of Los Angeles The Archdiocese of Los Angeles (, ) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in the southern coastal portion of the U.S. state of California. The archdiocese's cathedra is in Los Angeles, and the arc ...

(invocation) *

Dannel Malloy Dannel Patrick Malloy (; born July 21, 1955) is an American politician who served as the 88th governor of Connecticut from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he chaired the Democratic Governors Association from 2016 to 2017. In Ju ...

, mayor of Stamford, Connecticut and chair of the National Democratic Municipal Officials Conference *

, chair of the convention * Joan Menard, member of the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into ...

Gloria Molina Jesús Gloria Molina (May 31, 1948 – May 14, 2023) was an American politician who served as a member of the Los Angeles City Council, the California State Assembly, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and the Los Angeles County Metropo ...

, member of the

Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors (LACBOS) is the five-member Board of Supervisors, governing body of Los Angeles County, California, United States. History On April 1, 1850 the citizens of Los Angeles elected a three-man Court of Se ...

* Marc Morial,

mayor of New Orleans The post of Mayor of the City of New Orleans () has been held by the following individuals since New Orleans came under American administration following the Louisiana Purchase — the 1803 acquisition by the U.S. of of the French province '' ...

* Thomas V. Miller Jr.,

president of the Maryland Senate The President of the Maryland Senate is elected by a majority of the State Senators. The incumbent is Bill Ferguson (politician), Bill Ferguson who has held the role since January 8, 2020. The Maryland Constitution of 1864 created the new positio ...

Patty Murray Patricia Lynn Murray (, October 11, 1950) is an American politician serving in her sixth term as a United States senator from Washington (state), Washington, beginning her tenure in 1993, and is the state's Seniority in the United States Senate, ...

, United States Senator from Washington *

Bill Nelson Clarence William Nelson II (born September 29, 1942) is an American politician, attorney, and former astronaut who served from 2001 to 2019 as a United States Senate, United States senator from Florida and from 2021 to 2025 as the Administrator ...

insurance commissioner An insurance commissioner (or commissioner of insurance) is a public official in the executive branch of a state or territory in the United States who, along with their office, regulate the insurance industry. The powers granted to the office of ...

and nominee for United States Senate in Florida * Paul E. Patton,

governor of Kentucky The governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of government of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Kentucky. Sixty-two men and one woman have served as governor of Kentucky. The governor's term is four years in length; sinc ...

Richard Riordan Richard Joseph Riordan (May 1, 1930 – April 19, 2023) was an American businessman, investor, military commander, philanthropist, and politician. A decorated Korean War veteran and a member of the Republican Party, Riordan served as the 39th ...

mayor of Los Angeles The mayor of Los Angeles is the head of the executive branch of the government of Los Angeles and the chief executive of Los Angeles. The office is officially Non-partisan democracy, nonpartisan, a change made in the 1909 charter; previously, ...

* Lottie Shackelford, vice chair of the Democratic National Committee and former mayor of Little Rock, Arkansas *

Jeanne Shaheen Cynthia Jeanne Shaheen ( ; née Bowers, born January 28, 1947) is an American politician and former educator serving since 2009 as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from New Hampshire. A ...

governor of New Hampshire The governor of New Hampshire is the head of government of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. The governor is elected during the biennial state general election in November of even-numbered years. New Hampshire is one of only two states, along w ...

Debbie Stabenow Deborah Ann Stabenow ( ; née Greer; born April 29, 1950) is an American politician who served from 2001 to 2025 as a United States senator from Michigan. A member of the Democratic Party, she was Michigan's first female U.S. senator. Before he ...

, United States congresswoman from

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

and candidate for United States Senate in Michigan *

Andrew Tobias Andrew Tobias (born April 20, 1947) is an American writer. He has written extensively about investment, as well as politics, insurance, and other topics. He is also known for writing ''The Best Little Boy in the World'', a 1973 memoir – origin ...

, treasured of the Democratic National Committee * Robert Torricelli, United States Senator from

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

* Art Torres, chair of the

California Democratic Party The California Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of California. It is headquartered in Sacramento, the state capital. With 46.59% of the state's registered voters as of February 2024, the Democratic ...

and former California state senator * Wellington Webb,

mayor of Denver This is a list of mayors of Denver, the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Mayors of Denver can now serve three four-year terms. List See also *List of municipalities in Colorado * Bibliography of Colorado *Geog ...

* Lynn Woolsey, United States congresswoman from California

Day 2

*Joe Andrew,

Tammy Baldwin Tammy Suzanne Green Baldwin (born February 11, 1962) is an American politician and lawyer serving since 2013 as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States senator from Wisconsin. A member of the Democratic Party (United Stat ...

, United States congresswoman from

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

Evan Bayh Birch Evans "Evan" Bayh III ( ; born December 26, 1955) is an American politician who served as the List of governors of Indiana, 46th governor of Indiana from 1989 to 1997 and as a United States Senate, United States senator representing Indi ...

, United States Senator from Indiana and former

governor of Indiana The governor of Indiana is the head of government of the U.S. state of Indiana. The governor is elected to a four-year term and is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day management of the functions of many agencies of the Indiana state gover ...

mayor of Minneapolis The mayor of Minneapolis is the chief executive officer of the City of Minneapolis, Minnesota, responsible for overseeing the city's administration. As the political and ceremonial leader of the city, the mayor also represents Minneapolis on the ...

Yvonne Braithwaite Burke Yvonne Pearl Burke (née Watson, later Brathwaite; born October 5, 1932) is an American politician and lawyer from California. She was the first African-American woman to represent the West Coast of the United States, West Coast in Congress. She ...

, member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors * Elizabeth Birch, executive director of the

Human Rights Campaign The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is an American LGBTQ advocacy group. It is the largest LGBTQ political lobbying organization within the United States. Based in Washington, D.C., the organization focuses on protecting and expanding rights for L ...

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Democratic presidential nomination * Bob Butterworth,

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and Democratic nominee for United States Senate in Delaware * Suzan Johnson Cook, reverend *

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, United States Senate minority leader * Jim Davis, United States congressman from Florida *

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* Norman Dicks, United States congressman from California * Jim Doyle, attorney general of Wisconsin *

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* María Elena Durazo, trade union activist *

, United States senator from

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* C. Jack Ellis, mayor of

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* Martha Escutia, California state senator *

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, United States Senator from Wisconsin * Harold Ford Jr., United States congressman from

keynote speaker *

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, president and CEO of Rainbow/PUSH, former United States shadow senator from the

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; candidate for the

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and 1988 Democratic presidential nominations * Eddie Bernice Johnson, United States congressman from

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* Patty Judge, Secretary of agriculture of Iowa * Robert F. Kennedy Jr., attorney *

, United States senator from

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* Martin Meehan, United States congressman from Massachusetts *

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*Terry McAuliffe, chair of the convention * Gerald McEntee, president of AFSCME *

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* Tom Miller, attorney general of Iowa *

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* Grace Napolitano, United States congresswoman from California *

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, attorney general of Arizona *

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, actor * Bill Purcell,

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, United States congressman from New York * Ed Rendell, general chair of the Democratic National Committee and former

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* Hans Reimer, founder of the 2030 Center *

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* Pedro Rossello,

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* Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, daughter of former president John F. Kennedy *Karen Thurman, United States congresswoman from Florida *Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, lieutenant governor of Maryland *Richard Trumka, secretary-treasurer of the

*David Wu, United States congressman from Oregon

Day 3

*Archbishop Demetrios of America (invocation) *Tom Allen (Maine politician), Tom Allen, United States congressman from Maine * Thurbert Baker, attorney general of Georgia *Shelley Berkley, United States congresswoman from Nevada *Sanford Bishop, United States congressman from Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia *Elaine Bloom, former speaker pro tempore of the Florida House of Representatives; nominee for United States Senate in Florida *Leonard Boswell, United States congressman from Iowa *Lee P. Brown, Lee Brown, mayor of Houston *Raymond Buckley, member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives *Troy D. Brown, nominee for United States Senate 2000 United States Senate election in Mississippi, in Mississippi *Willie Brown (politician), Willie Brown, mayor of San Francisco and former speaker of the California Assembly *Mel Carnahan, governor of Missouri and Democratic nominee for United States Senate 2000 United States Senate election in Missouri, in Missouri *Bob Chase, president of the National Education Association *Max Cleland, United States Senator from Georgia *Jim Clyburn, United States congressman from South Carolina *Jon Corzine, candidate for the United States Senate 2000 United States Senate election in New Jersey, in New Jersey *Gray Davis, governor of California *Lois DeBerry, speaker pro tempore of the Tennessee General Assembly (nominating speech for Al Gore) *Rosa DeLauro, United States congresswoman from

*Nelson Diaz (lawyer), Nelson Diaz, former judge of the

Pennsylvania courts of common pleas, Court of Common Pleas *Al Edwards (politician), Al Edwards, member of the Texas House of Representatives *Lane Evans, United States congressman from Illinois *Jack Ford (American politician), Jack Ford, Democratic leader of the Ohio House of Representatives *Wayne Ford (politician), Wayne Ford, member of the Iowa House of Representatives *Karen Freeman-Wilson, Indiana attorney general *Martin Frost, United States congressman from Texas *Domingo García (politician), Domingo Garcia, member of the Texas House of Representatives *Sam Gejdenson, United States congressman from Connecticut *Dick Gephardt, minority leader of the

*Parris Glendening, governor of Maryland *Charlie Gonzalez, United States congressman from Texas *Bart Gordon, United States congressman from Tennessee *Christine Gregoire, attorney general of Washington *Clarence Harmon, mayor of St. Louis *Dario Herrera, member of the Clark County Commission and former member of the Nevada Assembly *Robert Hertzberg, speaker of the California State Assembly *Joe Hoeffel, United States congressman from Pennsylvania *Rush Holt Jr., Rush Holt, United States congressman from California *Mike Honda, member of the California State Assembly and candidate for the United States House of Representatives *William J. Jefferson, United States congressman from Louisiana *Stephanie Tubbs Jones, United States congresswoman from Ohio *

, actor (nominating speech for Al Gore) *Eleanor Jordan, member of the Kentucky General Assembly and candidate for the United States House of Representatives *Kwame Kilpatrick, Democratic floor leader of the Michigan House of Representatives *Ron Klink, United States congressman from Pennsylvania and candidate for the United States Senate 2000 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, in Pennsylvania *John Lewis, United States congressman from Georgia *Hadassah Lieberman, spouse of vice presidential nominee (introduction for VP nomination acceptance speech) *

, vice presidential nominee (VP nomination acceptance speech) *Zoe Lofgren, United States congresswoman from California *Ellen Malcolm, president of EMILY's List *Carolyn Maloney, United States congresswoman from New York *Carrie Meek, United States congresswoman from Florida *Bob Menendez, United States congressman from New Jersey *Juanita Millender-McDonald, United States congresswoman from California *Jonathan Miller (Kentucky politician), Jonathan Miller, Kentucky state treasurer *Renee Mullins, daughter of Murder of James Byrd Jr., James Byrd Jr. *Carolyn Maloney, United States congresswoman from New York *Robert Matsui, United States congressman from California *H. Carl McCall, New York state comptroller *Nancy Pelosi, United States congresswoman from California *Roberto Ramirez (politician), Roberto Ramirez, member of the New York Assembly *Jay Rockefeller, John D. Rockefeller, United States Senator from West Virginia *Chuck Robb, United States Senator from Virginia *

, former United States secretary of the treasury *Chuck Schumer, United States Senator from New York *Dennis Shepard and Judy Shepard, parents of Matthew Shepard *Karenna Gore Schiff, daughter of the presidential nominee (nominating speech for Al Gore) *Jimmy Smits, actor *Andy Stern, president of the Service Employees International Union *John F. Street, mayor of Philadelphia *Bart Stupak, United States congressman from Michigan *John Sweeney (labor leader), John Sweeney, president of the

* John S. Tanner, United States congressman from Tennessee *Antonio Villaraigosa, former speaker of the California State Assembly

Day 4

*Michela Alioto, 1998 nominee for Secretary of state of California *Yvonne Atkinson-Gates, chair of the Clark County Commission *Joe Biden, United States senator from Delaware and candidate for the 1988 Democratic presidential nomination, and eventual 46th President of the United States *David Bonior, United States House of Representatives Democratic Whip * *John Breaux, United States Senator from Louisiana *Willie Brown, mayor of San Francisco and former speaker of the California Assembly *Cruz Bustamante, lieutenant governor of California *Lois Capps, United States congresswoman from California *Bob Casey Jr., Pennsylvania auditor general *John Conyers, United States congressman from Michigan *Andrew Cuomo, United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development *Susan Davis (politician), Susan Davis, candidate for United States House of Representatives in California *Jane Dixon, bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America *Chris Dodd, United States Senator from Connecticut *Cal Dooley, United States congressman from California *Byron Dorgon, United States Senator from North Dakota *Sandra Feldman, president of the American Federation of Teachers *Mario Gallegos Jr., Texas state senator *Dan Glickman, United States Secretary of Agriculture *

, presidential nominee (presidential nomination acceptance speech) *Kristin Gore, daughter of presidential nominee *Tipper Gore, wife of presidential nominee *Jennifer Granholm, candidate for Michigan attorney general *Barney Frank, United States congressman from Massachusetts *David Halberstam, journalist *Tom Harkin, United States senator from Iowa and candidate for the 1992 Democratic Party presidential primaries, 1992 Democratic presidential nomination *Tony P. Hall, United States congressman from Ohio *Thelma Harper (politician), Tennessee state senator *Frank W. Hunger, former United States assistant attorney general for the civil division and uncle of the presidential nominee *Sheila Kuehl, member of the California State Assembly *Martin Luther King III, president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference *Mark Lawrence (politician), Mark Lawrence, president of the Maine Senate and nominee for United States Senate 2000 United States Senate election in Maine, in Maine *Sheila Jackson Lee, United States congresswoman from Texas *Patrick Leahy, Pat Leahy, United States Senator from Vermont *Susan Bass Levin, candidate for United States House of Representatives in New Jersey *Bill Luther, United States congressman from Minnesota *Patricia Madrid, attorney general of New Mexico *Jim Maloney, United States congressman from Connecticut *Jack Markell, Delaware state treasurer *Frank Mascara, United States congressman from Pennsylvania *Sue Masten, president of the National Council of American Indians *Vashti Murphy McKenzie, African Methodist Episcopal Church bishop (invocation) *Kendrick Meek, Florida state senator *Kweisi Mfume, president of the NAACP and former United States congressman from Maryland *Harry Reid, United States Senate Democratic Whip *Barbara Mikulski, United States Senator from Maryland *Jan Schakowsky, United States congresswoman from Illinois *Brian Schweitzer, candidate for United States Senate 2000 United States Senate election in Montana, in Montana *Louise Slaughter, United States congresswoman from New York *Hilda Solis, California state senator and candidate for the United States House of Representatives from California *John Spratt, United States congressman from South Carolina *Susan Turnbull, chair of the Democratic National Committee women's caucus *Robert A. Underwood, non-voting delegate to the United States House of Representatives from Guam *Nydia Velazquez, United States congresswoman from New York *Tom Vilsack, governor of Iowa *Maxine Waters, United States congresswoman from California

Notable performers

Day 1

*Craig Bierko and the Broadway theatre, Broadway cast of ''The Music Man'': "76 Trombones" *Melissa Etheridge: "America the Beautiful"

Day 2

*Pat Morita: "The Star-Spangled Banner" *Los Lobos *Jenny Powers: "The Star-Spangled Banner" *Luther Vandross, "America...The Dream Goes On"

Day 3

*Mary Chapin Carpenter: "Why Walk When You Can Fly" *Plus One (band), Plus One: "The Star-Spangled Banner" and "America the Beautiful" *Stevie Wonder and Diane Schuur: "The Star-Spangled Banner"

Day 4

*Boyz II Men: "The Star-Spangled Banner" *Christie Brinkley: "Pledge of Allegiance" *Phil Driscoll: "Battle Hymn of the Republic" *Mark O'Connor, "Orange Blossom Special (song), Orange Blossom Special"

Summaries of key speeches

Bill Bradley

Bill Clinton

Outgoing president

spoke on the convention's first night. Clinton noted his administration's accomplishments and praised Gore, saying that "You gave me that chance to turn those ideas and values into action, after I made one of the best decisions of my life: asking Al Gore to be my partner."

Hillary Clinton

Gray Davis

Governor of California

delivered remarks on both the first and third days of the convention. His first speech was a welcoming speech on behalf of the host state of the convention. In it, he harkened back to the 1960 Democratic National Convention held in Los Angeles 40 years earlier, which nominated John F. Kennedy for president, and declared, "we remain the new frontier President Kennedy envisioned here. And our party still embodies the spirit of service and duty he called to life.". He highlighted a number of values and issues that he argued were promoted by Democratic Party.

Chris Dodd

Harold Ford Jr.

The keynote speaker of the convention was Congressman Harold Ford Jr. of

. Ford spoke on the second night of the convention. Ford, who, at 30, was at the time the youngest member of Congress, directed his speech towards younger voters, saying, "I also stand here representing a new generation, a generation committed to those ideals and inspired by an unshakable confidence in our future."

Dick Gephardt

Minority leader of the United States House of Representatives Dick Gephardt of Missouri spoke on the convention's third night. In his speech, he criticized the Republican majority in both chambers of the United States Congress. He characterized them as unwilling to pass a patients' bill of rights, a Medicare (United States), Medicare prescription benefit, campaign reform, and gun safety measures.

Al Gore

Al Gore delivered his presidential nomination acceptance speech on the final night of the convention. Gore's acceptance speech focused on the future saying, "We're entering a new time, we're electing a new president, and I stand here tonight as my own man. I want you to know me for who I truly am." He mentioned President Clinton only once near the beginning of the speech. The speech was focused on issues: "I'm here to talk seriously about the issues. I believe people deserve to know specifically what a candidate proposes to do. I intend to tell you tonight. You ought to be able to know, and then judge for yourself."

Tipper Gore

Jesse Jackson

, founder, president and CEO of the Rainbow/Push Coalition; former United States shadow senator from the

; and candidate for the

and 1988 Democratic presidential nominations, spoke on the convention's second evening. In his speech, Jackson criticized the Republican convention held two weeks earlier, commenting, "Two weeks ago, in Philadelphia, the nation was treated to a stage show - smoke, mirrors, hired acts that Republicans called inclusion. That was the inclusion illusion. In Philadelphia, diversity ended on the stage. They could not mention the words Africa, Appalachia, or AIDS once. So it is good to be here in Los Angeles, to look over this great assembly and see the real deal - the quilt of many patches that is America." Jackson strongly praised the selection of Lieberman as Gore's running mate, while criticizing Republican vice presidential nominee Dick Cheney. Jackson named a number of issues where he argued Gore and Lieberman held the moral high ground over Bush and Cheney. Jackson characterized the Republicans as a "grizzly old team" seeking to give tax breaks to the rich. He warned voters that a Bush victory would not just bring Bush to power, but also a "team" comprised Republicans such as Dick Armey, Bob Barr, Tom DeLay, Jesse Helms, and Strom Thurmond. Jackson urged America to, "stay out of the Bushes", a phrase which the audience began chanting.

Tommy Lee Jones

Actor

, who had been college roommates with Al Gore, delivered a nominating speech for Gore on the convention's third night. Jones recounted his friendship with Gore, and hailed Gore's character.

Ted Kennedy

Hadassah Lieberman

Hadassah Lieberman, the wife of the vice presidential nominee, delivered an introduction before her Husband's acceptance speech on the convention's third night.

Joe Lieberman

Lieberman delivered his vice presidential nomination acceptance speech on the third night of the convention, despite the fact that he would not be formally nominated until the next day. Vice-presidential nominee Lieberman invoked the spirit of John F. Kennedy in his speech, saying: "Tonight, I believe that the next frontier isn't just in front of us, but inside of us--to overcome the differences that are still between us, to break down the barriers that remain and to help every American claim the possibilities of their own lives."

Karenna Gore Schiff

Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg

Protests

Large scale, sometimes violent protests took place outside of the Staples Center as well as throughout downtown Los Angeles. Protest groups ranged from anti-abortion supporters, to homeless activists, to anti-globalization protestors, and anarchists. Out of increased fear after the surprise mass-protests at the 1999 "Battle for Seattle" WTO protests, media coverage and Los Angeles Police Department, LAPD concern were heightened for the event. Concerns were further raised when violent riots also broke out after the Los Angeles Lakers won the 2000 National Basketball Association Championship only a few months before the convention. Originally, a "Protest Zone" was designated a city block away from the Staples Center, but a court order forced the zone moved immediately adjacent to the arena, in a parking lot. The protests became violent during the first evening of the convention, and many different protests, some orderly, some violent, took place over the full four days of the convention. There were numerous arrests, injuries and property damage, but the protests were less than originally feared. The band Rage Against the Machine played outside the convention showing its disdain of the policies being promoted inside the building.

After the convention

In November, Al Gore narrowly lost to Texas Governor George W. Bush in the 2000 United States presidential election, general election having won the popular vote but losing the electoral vote in a Bush v. Gore, decision handed down more than a month after the election by the United States Supreme Court, Supreme Court. This decision read as follows: "Noting that the Equal Protection clause guarantees individuals that their ballots cannot be devalued by 'later arbitrary and disparate treatment,' the per curiam opinion held 7–2 that the Florida Supreme Court's scheme for recounting ballots was unconstitutional. Even if the recount was fair in theory, it was unfair in practice. The record suggested that different standards were applied from ballot to ballot, precinct to precinct, and county to county. Because of those and other procedural difficulties, the court held, 5 to 4, that no constitutional recount could be fashioned in the time remaining".

References

External links

Democratic Party Platform of 2000
at ''The American Presidency Project''
Gore Nomination Acceptance Speech for President at DNC
(transcript) at ''The American Presidency Project''
Video of Gore nomination acceptance speech for President at DNC (via YouTube)

Audio of Gore nomination acceptance speech for President at DNC

Video of Lieberman nomination acceptance speech for Vice President at DNC (via YouTube)

Audio of Lieberman nomination acceptance speech for Vice President at DNC

* [http://www.c-span.org/video/?c4604025/representative-harold-ford-jr-2000-democratic-national-convention-keynote-speech Video (with audio) of Ford Keynote Address at DNC]
Transcript of Ford Keynote Address at DNC
{{Authority control 2000 Democratic National Convention, Democratic National Conventions 2000 in Los Angeles Conventions in Los Angeles Political conventions in California California Democratic Party 2000 United States presidential election, Democratic National Convention, 2000 Al Gore 2000 presidential campaign 2000 conferences August 2000 in the United States Joe Lieberman Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 2000s political conferences