george w. bush, son of george h. w. bush, won the 2000 republican presidential nomination over arizona senator john mccain, former senator elizabeth dole and others. with his highly controversial and exceedingly narrow victory in the 2000 election against the vice president al gore, the republican party gained control of the presidency and both houses of congress for the first time since 1952. however, it lost control of the senate when vermont senator james jeffords left the republican party to become an independent in 2001 and caucused with the democrats.