2016 is easy, 2000 was a long time ago. Independents disliked Hillary Clinton more than they did Trump. Questions 10 and 11.

https://d25d2506sfb94s.cloudfront.net/cumulus_uploads/document/l37rosbwjp/econTabReport_lv.pdf

As to why, independents viewed Clinton as aloof, an elitist, a know it all. Independents viewed Trump as being obnoxious, uncouth, rude. They didn’t like nor want either one, as a result Trump won independents 46-42 over Clinton with 12% voting third party against both major party candidates. Who knows how many stayed home not liking their choices saying to hades with it? Still if Clinton hadn’t been so lazy, she let Trump both outwork and out campaign her in 2016. Trump made 116 campaign visits, stop, rallies etc. to Clinton 71. Clinton’s 71 looks larger than what it was as it includes fund raisers in deep blue California and New York. Most important is in the deciding states, Trump made 5 Trips to Wisconsin, Clinton none, Michigan it was Trump 6 Clinton 1. Pennsylvania was closer, 8 for Trump, 5 for Clinton. Even in electoral vote rich Florida, Clinton let Trump out campaign her there 13 to 8.

Clinton had a very inept campaign strategy to boot. She wanted to outperform Obama in the electoral college. Thus, she spent a lot of time and money in states that she realistically had no chance of winning. Media coverage also helped Trump; his outrageousness made Trump the number one news story almost every day relegating Clinton to the back pages. Trump would call into every morning talk show whether they supported him or not. Clinton on the other hand only went on shows that supported her 100% like The View. Trump probably got a billion dollars’ worth of free media this way. Clinton out raised and out spent Trump 1.191 billion to 646.8 million.

https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/graphics/2016-presidential-campaign-fundraising/

In other words, Clinton relied on paid TV political commercials whereas Trump was into personal appearances and of course the free media attention. There’s a lot more than just this, the short answer is independents disliked Clinton for various reasons more than they did Trump although they disliked both. Clinton lost the election; Trump didn’t win it if that makes sense. I haven’t seen such an inept campaign since G.H.W. Bush’s in 1992. Clinton acted and performed like she expected the presidency to be handed to her without working for it. Another reason may be that in 2016 Democrats made up 39% of the electorate to the GOP’s 32%. A 7-point advantage. But that 7-point advantage was cut to 4 in actual voter turnout 36-32. Had Democrats turnout maintained that 7-point advantage, I have no doubt Hillary would have won.

Which is also the short answer for 2000. The democrats held an 8-point advantage in party affiliation 37-29 in 2000, but only a 4-point advantage among those who voted 39-35. Why independents would vote for G.W. Bush over Gore, probably had a lot to do with Bush’s down-home boy persona vs. the statue. It was much easier to like G.W. as a person than Gore who was stiff, coming across perhaps as being too rigid. The statue vs. the down-home likable guy.