Al Gore and George W. Bush emerged from Titanic Tuesday March 7 not just the victorious favorites of their party establishments. They also ran best in many of the same primary states. Georgia and California were at the top of the list percentagewise for each, and Ohio and Washington were also among the top five for both Gore and Bush.

THE WINNERS...
GEORGE W. BUSH	Region	Voting System	Percent of Party's Primary Vote
Georgia	South	Open	66.8%
California	West	Closed	60.6%
Washington	West	Open	58.0%
Ohio	Midwest	Open	58.0%
Missouri	Midwest	Open	57.9%
AL GORE	Region	Voting System	Percent of Party's Primary Vote
Georgia	South	Open	83.8%
California	West	Closed	81.3%
Ohio	Midwest	Open	73.5%
Washington	West	Open	68.3%
Maryland	Northeast	Closed	67.3%
THE CHALLENGERS...
JOHN McCAIN	Region	Voting System	Percent of Party's Primary Vote
Massachusetts	Northeast	Semi-open	64.7%
Vermont	Northeast	Open	60.6%
Rhode Island	Northeast	Semi-open	60.4%
Arizona	West	Closed	60.0%
Michigan	Midwest	Open	50.8%
BILL BRADLEY	Region	Voting System	Percent of Party's Primary Vote
New Hampshire	Northeast	Semi-open	45.6%
Vermont	Northeast	Open	44.4%
Maine	Northeast	Semi-open	41.5%
Connecticut	Northeast	Closed	41.4%
Rhode Island	Northeast	Semi-open	40.9%

Each of Gore’s five best states gave him at least two-thirds of the Democratic primary vote. Bush’s top five all gave him more than 57% of the Republican primary vote. And ironically, four were open primary states, where any registered voter could participate in the Republican primary. This was a set of ground rules that supposedly advantaged his GOP challenger, John McCain.

Meanwhile, both McCain and Democrat Bill Bradley ran best in New England. Bradley’s five best states were all in New England, although he won none of them. McCain’s top three primary showings were in New England (led by Massachusetts), with McCain’s home state of Arizona and Michigan rounding out the list. All five were won by McCain with a majority of the vote cast in the Republican primary.

Percentages in the chart below are based on nearly complete, but unofficial returns, with the exception of New Hampshire, where the results are official. Open primaries are those where any registered voter could participate. Closed primaries are those limited to a party’s registered voters. Semi-open primaries are those where independents as well as party members are allowed to participate.