Gore was a Representative from 1977 to 1985 and a Senator from 1985 to 1993. In 1988 he ran for President for first time, but lost to Michael Dukakis in the Democratic primary. In 1993, he became Vice President to Bill Clinton. He ran for President in 2000, but lost to George W. Bush (many people still argue this). Even though he lost the race, Gore won in the popular vote by over 500,000 votes.