Incumbent governor Tom Carper was term-limited and instead successfully ran for the United States Senate.

However Holden's wins in the Democratic strongholds of St. Louis and Kansas City proved to be just enough to push him over the finish line.

Despite the fact that George W. Bush, the Republican nominee for president in 2000, won the state in a landslide, the race between Martz and O'Keefe was close.

Republican nominee John Hoeven won the election over Democratic State Attorney General Heidi Heitkamp.

Heitkamp had led in the polls until early October, when reports indicated that she had breast cancer, and would undergo surgery.

She ran advertisements to assure voters she was still fit to serve; however, by the final month, Hoeven had taken a six-point lead in polling.

The campaign was dominated by the fallout from the passage of a civil union bill and the subsequent backlash encapsulated by the slogan Take Back Vermont.

Ruth Dwyer, the Republican nominee in 1998, ran again in 2000 and was closely tied to the Take Back Vermont movement.

Howard Dean, the Democratic governor, favored civil unions and was a primary target of Take Back Vermont.

Incumbent Democratic governor Gary Locke defeated the Republican candidate John Carlson for his second term in a landslide.

Cecil Underwood Republican Bob Wise Democratic The 2000 West Virginia gubernatorial election took place on November 7, 2000.

Incumbent Republican governor Cecil Underwood ran for re-election to a second consecutive term in office, but was defeated by Democratic U.S. Representative Bob Wise.