Bush, Gore speak as Florida begins recount
 |
 |
(AP) |
George W. Bush greets the crowd
outside the Governor's Mansion in Austin Wednesday. Cover: Election
workers at the Hillsborough Supervisors of Elections office in Tampa
begin recounting ballots. |
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) In an election for the history books,
George W. Bush cautiously declared victory Wednesday over Al Gore and
promised to ''unite the nation'' after the wildest White House finish
in decades. Gore promised to abide by the final results but insisted,
''We still do not know the outcome of yesterday's vote.'' It was a fitting
finale of tumult and tension for two men who spent eight months and
$240 million on the campaign trail only to finish a few thousand votes
apart in a single pivotal state.
READ MORE (below)
PRESIDENT -
99
% of precincts reporting |
|
Popular Vote |
Percent |
States Won |
Electoral Vote |
Gore (D)
|
48,707,413
|
48
|
19
|
255
|
Bush (R)
|
48,609,640
|
48
|
29
|
246
|
Vote returns will appear shortly after polls
close in each state or locality (click here
for times) and will update automatically. Click refresh button for
latest results. Winners of some races may be projected based on exit
polls. Winners may not be declared in every race, and results in some
races or categories may vary briefly, due to late vote counts or other
factors. (i) denotes incumbent. Only one candidate will be listed
in uncontested races. Click
here for party abbreviations. |
 |
 |
 |
More presidential
vote returns |
|
By candidate and state-by state
|
|
|
 |
|
If Gore's lead in the national popular vote
held, Bush would be the fourth man in history the first in more
than a century to win the presidency despite coming in second
in popular votes. Calling this an ''extraordinary moment in our democracy,''
Gore noted that the Constitution awards the presidency to the Electoral
College winner, not necessarily the leading vote-getter.
''We are now, as we have always been from the moment of our founding, a nation built on the rule of law,'' the vice president said.
Bush was looking ahead to his transition to power, preparing to announce
key roles in his administration for retired Gen. Colin Powell and former
Transportation Secretary Andy Card.
''It's going to be resolved in a quick way,'' Bush said of the Florida
recount set to be finished Thursday. Joined by running mate Dick Cheney
in Austin, Texas, he added: ''I'm confident that the secretary and I
will be president-elect and vice president-elect.'' Florida was a state
of chaos, its 25 electoral votes the margin of victory as both Bush
and Gore were agonizingly close to the 270 required. The AP tally showed
Bush leading by fewer than 1,700 popular votes out of 6 million cast
in the state. ''Not only is the vice president ahead in the popular
vote, he's ahead in the Electoral College,'' campaign chairman William
Daley said. Earlier, he said Gore would be prepared to ''move on'' if
he lost the recount. After a long night of suspense, the vice president
slept late before his statement on Wednesday. He was confident of victory
''if the recount is handled in a fair and honest way,'' spokesman Mark
Fabiani said. Democrats privately said they worried about the objectivity
of Florida's secretary of state, Republican Katherine Harris.
Soon after she ordered the recount, lawyers for both candidates flocked to the state, led by two former secretaries of state - Christopher for Gore and James A. Baker III for Bush.
The next president, no matter who he may be, faces a Congress that will be divided deeply by modest Democratic gains.
Voters spoke as if from two worlds - men versus women, parents versus singles, city dwellers versus rural Americans, whites versus minorities - casting distinctly different visions for America and denying the presidential victor any claim of a mandate.
Republicans retained control of the Senate, but lost seats and could be stuck with the smallest possible majority. They lost seats in the House, too, and will cling to a razor-thin advantage.
''It won't be easy for whoever is president,'' said Republican strategist Scott Reed.
(Requires: Real
Player.)
Having trouble? Click here.
|