Al Gore: Concession Speech

Al Gore’s political career as a senator and vice president occurred during an important shift in the American electorate’s attitudes and voting habits. Following the “Reagan revolution” of the 1980s most voters, including those who identified themselves as Democrats, became more conservative, favoring a smaller federal government. Groomed for politics from an early age, Gore molded himself as a different kind of Democrat, one whose agenda would resonate with centrist voters. Gore ran for the presidency in 2000—a contentious election that, in the end, centered on ballot recounts in the state of Florida. The recount issue reached the U.S. Supreme Court. In its decision in Bush v. Gore, the Court ruled in favor of George W. Bush and declared him the winner of the presidential election. In his Concession Speech following his defeat in the 2000 presidential election, Gore emphasizes his win of the popular vote but uses humor to defuse the tension that had grown out of the month-long standoff and focuses on the need to heal the country’s divisions.