Click on a month to look at the key campaign dates or check back on the main stories. In the last stages of the campaign it has become traditional for the candidates to take part in a series of major televised debates. The crucial first televised debate of the campaign takes place at the John F Kennedy Library, University of Massachusetts, Boston.
Most analysts agree that neither candidate delivers a knock-out blow or emerges as a clear winner.
The vice presidential debate between Joe Lieberman and Dick Cheney sees them seated at a table to encourage a more conversational tone. Democrat Joe Lieberman and Republican Dick Cheney say they are determined not to descend to personal attacks, and they don't. George W Bush displays a fresh confidence. He and his rival Al Gore clash on foreign policy, race crimes and the environment, but the Texas governor gets the better of many exchanges.