And The Winner Is...Al Gore!

By Melissa August, Val Castronovo, Matthew Cooper, Daren Fonda, Ling Minhua, Ellin Martens, Benjamin Nugent, Julie Rawe, Eric Roston, Josh Tyrangiel

No, not the election, but a contest quite possibly as exciting and filled with suspense. For the past 19 weeks, we've been tracking the pledges offered by the candidates on the stump to see who would make 100 pledges first. Gore came out the winner, which brings our pledge drive to a close. No doubt the pledges will continue, but now you'll have to tally them on your own. Following, some of the more recent ones that took Gore over the top.

--To create a heating-oil reserve and temporary energy-tax credit

--To ensure that Medicare covers preventive screenings

--Not to air ads funded with soft money in the last 40 days of the campaign if Bush does the same

--To give $2 of projected surplus to debt reduction for every $1 for tax cuts or investments

--To eliminate some of families' obstacles to enrollment in Medicaid

The fine print: totals reflect pledges and proposals made beginning the week of May 29, 2000, when we first began tracking.