George W. Bush, Republican: The Texas governor strongly supports the death penalty. In recent years, Texas has had more executions than any other state, and permits capital punishment for juveniles and the mentally retarded.
Confronted with investigations that show innocent people have gone to their deaths in Texas, Bush defended his record: All I can tell you is that the four years I've been governor, I am confident we have not executed an innocent person, and I'm confident that the system has worked to make sure there is full access to the courts. He continued, There is no doubt in my mind that each person who has been executed in our state was guilty of the crime committed.
Al Gore, Democrat: The vice president attempts to strike a more compassionate note than the one carried by Shrub, but Gore's position is essentially the same. I support the death penalty, he says. I respect the strong feelings of those who oppose the death penalty, but I believe it is an appropriate and effective punishment for certain offenses.