 Although New Jersey had voted for Democrat Bill Clinton in the past two elections (1992 and 1996), it was considered a potential swing state in 2000 because pre-election polling data showed it to be a close race.Al Gore won 56% of NJ's popular vote, beating out George W. Bush by about a 16% margin, which guaranteed NJ's 15 slots in the Electoral College to the Democratic Party.Gore won 11 of NJ's 13 congressional districts, with the biggest margins of victory in Essex County and Hudson County where he won over 70% of the vote.