“Throw away the polls,” says American University professor Allan Lichtman, who claims to have discovered a sure-fire method to predict the outcome of presidential races.

What emerges clearly from a comparison of the content of the platforms and programs of the Republican and Democratic conventions is the fact that there is a deep philosophical divide that still separates the two parties' approach to governing.

With the 2000 presidential race on low simmer, media attention has focused on a few hotly contested Senate elections with New York, New Jersey and Michigan leading the pack.

After spending a combined total of $250 million in the U.S. primary elections, the results are now in. Republicans and Democrats have chosen their nominees to run for the Presidency.

New Hampshire lived up to its reputation for upsetting the political establishment. Since 1952, when New Hampshire gained its status as the first state to hold its primary election in the presidential nominating process, its voters have often defeated expected winners while catapulting underdogs to victory.