If Karl Rove is right, a last-minute story in the 2000 election -- that George W. Bush had been arrested for drunk driving as a young man -- kept a few million likely Republican voters, mostly white evangelicals, away from the polls.

CNN: Greenfield: Who's going to show up this fall?

Al Gore and John Kerry edged George W. Bush by similar margins in pre-convention polls in 2000 and 2004.

FORBES: The Olympics Help Republicans

In 2000, McCain upset then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush in the New Hampshire primary by touting "straight talk" and his record as a Republican maverick.

CNN: McCain wins GOP nomination; Huckabee bows out

Republican Party leaders are being told that they must soften their stance on gay and lesbian issues, flip the script on immigration reform, stop dissing women at every turn, and become more "compassionate" -- like George W. Bush when he was selling his candidacy in 2000.

CNN: GOP has power where it counts: the states

Since succeeding George W. Bush as governor in 2000, Perry pushed through some pro-business initiatives, like 2003 tort reforms to limit suits against doctors, which bolstered health care companies in the state, and an enterprise fund that gave businesses a half billion dollars in grants and incentives over the last eight years.

FORBES: How Real Is The Texas Job Boom?

In 1999 and 2000, Berman worked as an off-air reporter for ABC News covering George W. Bush's presidential campaign.

CNN: CNN Profiles - John Berman - Co-Anchor

Some supporters waved "Quayle-Bush" signs, looking forward to a possible 2000 ticket with Texas Gov. George W. Bush in the veep spot.

CNN: Southern Republicans Gather For A Straw Poll

GOFFSTOWN, New Hampshire (CNN) - The question for every Republican in the 2000 presidential race, save for Texas Governor George W. Bush, is: How do you stop a frontrunner who has a lot of money at his disposal?

CNN: Candy Crowley/