Kerry Calls Bush to Concede
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
By Liza Porteus
Sen. John Kerry has called President Bush to concede the 2004 race for the White House, FOX News has confirmed.
News late Wednesday morning of a Bush win in Nevada pushed the president over the 270 Electoral College vote threshold he needed to win re-election, giving him a total of 274 votes. The president is expected to publicly speak at 3 p.m.
"Congratulations, Mr. President," Kerry said in the conversation described to The Associated Press by sources as lasting less than five minutes. One of the sources was Republican, the other a Democrat.
The Democratic source said Bush called Kerry a worthy, tough and honorable opponent. Kerry told Bush the country was too divided, the source said, and Bush agreed. "We really have to do something about it," Kerry said according to the Democratic official.
The Massachusetts senator will meet with reporters around 1 p.m. EST at Faneuil Hall in Boston to make some sort of formal announcement about the future of his campaign.
News of the phone call came at 11:10 a.m. EDT Wednesday. Earlier in the morning, the Bush campaign declared victory, despite claims by Kerry's campaign that the fight is not yet over in Ohio.
"I want to thank all of you for staying up so late with us, and good morning," White House Chief of Staff Andy Card told haggard supporters at the Ronald Reagan Building, speaking at 5:45 a.m. EST. "We are convinced that President Bush has won re-election with at least 286 Electoral College votes."
Although Iowa, Nevada and New Mexico had not yet then made their results officials, Card said the GOP camp was counting those states in its column. Card also declared victory in Ohio, despite claims by Kerry's campaign that the fight is not yet over in The Buckeye State.
"This all adds up to a convincing victory," Card said. "President Bush decided to give Senator Kerry the respect of more time to reflect on the results of this election."
Democrats had insisted Kerry was still in contention for Ohio's decisive cache of 20 electoral votes. At issue were the more than 100,000 provisional ballots that still had to be counted.
Republican Party Chairman Marc Racicot said the president put off declaring victory temporarily as a courtesy to Kerry, "to allow the opportunity to look at the situation in the cold hard light of day."
Democratic strategist Elaine Kamarck said the idea of not changing horses in midstream helped Bush win.
"I think it probably was the desire of people in uncertain times to stick to the person they know best -- that is always an incumbent advantage," she said. "There's a lot of insecurity about the world in which we live today … inertia does win, particularly when people aren't really sure what the world's going to look like."
Before both sides retired for an hour or two of sleep, one top Kerry adviser said the Democrat's chances of winning Ohio, and with it the White House, were difficult at best. Advisers planned one last look for uncounted ballots that might close the gap before meeting with the candidate Wednesday to determine whether he should concede or fight on.
One senior Democrat familiar with the discussions had said Kerry's running mate, Sen. John Edwards, was suggesting to Kerry that he shouldn't concede. The official said Edwards, a trial lawyer, wanted to make sure that all options were explored and Democrats pursued them as thoroughly as Republicans would if the positions were reversed.
At the Polls
Polls closed Tuesday night in all 50 states and the nation's capital in a race that was called one of the most hotly contested in American history. Iowa, New Mexico and Wisconsin were too close to call at 11:30 a.m. EST on Wednesday. As of that time, Bush had 269 electoral votes; Kerry had 242. The victor needs 270 to win. An electoral tie would throw the race to the GOP-led U.S. House of Representatives to decide.
Bush won Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming, FOX News projects.
Kerry won California, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington, FOX News projects.
So far, New Hampshire is the only state to switch parties from the 2000 election outcome.
If Nevada and New Mexico had been called for the president, it was expected that Bush would have spoken Wednesday morning, but as dawn neared, the president went to bed. Vice President Dick Cheney also called it a night before daybreak, saying he wanted to sleep and eat some breakfast before starting the new day.
Around 4 a.m. EST Wednesday, New Mexico's secretary of state and election staff went home for the night. They were to resume ballot counting around 9 a.m. Before they left, they said thousands of absentee ballots have to be examined by hand, not to mention the many provisional ballots which they will go through regardless of the outcome.
Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie said the Election Day results show the country is not as divided as suspected.
"I think we saw obviously tonight a decisive win in the popular vote. I suspect that when everybody wakes up tomorrow, the Republicans will have 55 seats in the United States Senate as a result of the president's strong push across the country, and we will gain seats in the House of Representatives as well. So, I'm not sure the country is as closely divided as is made out to be," Gillespie said around 3:30 a.m. EST. "It looks to me a very decisive win today."
Fight for Ohio
Allegations of voter suppression abounded in The Buckeye State. Kerry campaign manager Mary Beth Cahill said the challenger's camp was not buying the projected tally in the crucial battleground state.
"The vote count in Ohio has not been completed. There are more than 250,000 remaining votes to be counted. We believe when they are, John Kerry will win Ohio," a statement read.
Around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, Edwards took the stage at Copley Square in Boston to give supporters a brief pep talk.
Introduced as the "next vice president of the United States," the North Carolina senator told Democratic supporters gathered for a victory rally to go home.
"It's been a long night but we've waited four years for this victory - we can wait one more night," Edwards said. "John and I are so proud of all of you who are here with us and all of you throughout the country who have stood with us through this campaign ... [We] promised every vote would count and every vote would be counted. Tonight, we are keeping our word and we will fight for every vote. You deserve no less. Thank you."
But one Bush-Cheney strategist said Kerry had no chance of pulling a win out of Ohio.
"Impossible ... he can't make up for his margin of defeat. This is a desperate ploy," he said.
Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell told FOX News early Wednesday morning that about 5.8 million to 5.9 million people voted this year - about 1 million more than in 2000. He projected about a 72 percent voter turnout this year, as compared to 63 percent in 2000.
"This is a real spike," he said. "We're going to count every vote that was cast today and we're going to do it in a bipartisan system … that represents the true will of the people."
Provisional ballots are not counted until about 11 days after election. If the margin of victory for one candidate or another is comprised of fewer votes than the number of provisional ballots they have, Blackwell said, "that could stretch it out … [But] if it takes two more days, if it takes two more weeks," they will be counted.
Blackwell released provisional vote numbers for 78 of Ohio's 88 counties, showing a total of 135,149 provisional ballots, according to Blackwell's Web site. It appeared that the difference in the number of votes for the two candidates was greater than the number of outstanding ballots.
In Ohio alone, the Kerry camp had 3,200 lawyers and paralegals on standby. Meanwhile, 27,843 volunteers were on standby statewide, 2,829 out-of-staters were in Ohio driving voters to the polls and the campaign had 270 full-time paid staffers in Ohio, as compared with 40 for Al Gore four years ago.
Bush: 'I Believe I Will Win'
Bush, watching the returns at the White House residence with first lady Laura Bush on election night, his parents, daughters Jenna and Barbara, sister Dorothy and her husband Bobby, brothers Neil and Marvin and sister-in-law Margaret, said the Bush clan was "very upbeat."
"I believe I will win, thank you very much. I feel good about it," Bush said. "I'm glad to be able to watch the returns here with my family and friends. It's going to be an exciting evening."
Bush, voting earlier in the day at a local firehouse in Crawford, Texas, made reference to the last presidential election.
"I think it's very important for it to end tonight," Bush told reporters, referring to the expected legal challenges in some districts. "The world watches our great democracy function."
The senator from Massachusetts cast his ballot in Boston. "I am very confident that we have made the case for change for new leadership for a fresh start," Kerry said.
Upon his return to Massachusetts from Wisconsin for a last-chance stop, Kerry bent over and touched the ground. He ate his traditional Election Day lunch of littleneck clams and a dark beer at his lucky restaurant, Boston's historic Union Oyster House.
Cheney and his wife Lynne cast their votes Tuesday morning in Wilson, Wyo. Edwards voted in his home state of North Carolina.
Fight for the Battlegrounds
Late into Tuesday night, Republicans were feeling much better about their position, and said their numbers were much more accurate than the exit polls.
One strategist was asked by FOX News just how bad they felt when they saw the early exit polls. "I bought a box of Kleenex, but didn't open them," he said.
"At the beginning of the night, we were asking how we could have been so far off," the strategist said. Now, they say the actual numbers are far closer to their projections than the early exit polls.
But Independent candidate Ralph Nader told FOX News Tuesday night that no matter who wins -- Bush or Kerry -- voters will lose. The goal of his campaign was to "put the progressive agenda before the public," he said.
"It's a winner-take-all mindset of most people," Nader said of why he didn't get farther than he did in this presidential election. "[Voters] know that only one of the two, Republican or Democrat, is going to win. The system is very rigged against" other candidates, he added. "The problem is, the two parties keep saying to us, 'vote for the winner' and they keep losing" to corporate interests, he continued.
FOX News' Jim Angle, Steve Brown, Carl Cameron, Mike Emanuel, Wendell Goler and Kelly Wright contributed to this report.
By Liza Porteus
Sen. John Kerry has called President Bush to concede the 2004 race for the White House, FOX News has confirmed.
News late Wednesday morning of a Bush win in Nevada pushed the president over the 270 Electoral College vote threshold he needed to win re-election, giving him a total of 274 votes. The president is expected to publicly speak at 3 p.m.
"Congratulations, Mr. President," Kerry said in the conversation described to The Associated Press by sources as lasting less than five minutes. One of the sources was Republican, the other a Democrat.
The Democratic source said Bush called Kerry a worthy, tough and honorable opponent. Kerry told Bush the country was too divided, the source said, and Bush agreed. "We really have to do something about it," Kerry said according to the Democratic official.
The Massachusetts senator will meet with reporters around 1 p.m. EST at Faneuil Hall in Boston to make some sort of formal announcement about the future of his campaign.
News of the phone call came at 11:10 a.m. EDT Wednesday. Earlier in the morning, the Bush campaign declared victory, despite claims by Kerry's campaign that the fight is not yet over in Ohio.
"I want to thank all of you for staying up so late with us, and good morning," White House Chief of Staff Andy Card told haggard supporters at the Ronald Reagan Building, speaking at 5:45 a.m. EST. "We are convinced that President Bush has won re-election with at least 286 Electoral College votes."
Although Iowa, Nevada and New Mexico had not yet then made their results officials, Card said the GOP camp was counting those states in its column. Card also declared victory in Ohio, despite claims by Kerry's campaign that the fight is not yet over in The Buckeye State.
"This all adds up to a convincing victory," Card said. "President Bush decided to give Senator Kerry the respect of more time to reflect on the results of this election."
Democrats had insisted Kerry was still in contention for Ohio's decisive cache of 20 electoral votes. At issue were the more than 100,000 provisional ballots that still had to be counted.
Republican Party Chairman Marc Racicot said the president put off declaring victory temporarily as a courtesy to Kerry, "to allow the opportunity to look at the situation in the cold hard light of day."
Democratic strategist Elaine Kamarck said the idea of not changing horses in midstream helped Bush win.
"I think it probably was the desire of people in uncertain times to stick to the person they know best -- that is always an incumbent advantage," she said. "There's a lot of insecurity about the world in which we live today … inertia does win, particularly when people aren't really sure what the world's going to look like."
Before both sides retired for an hour or two of sleep, one top Kerry adviser said the Democrat's chances of winning Ohio, and with it the White House, were difficult at best. Advisers planned one last look for uncounted ballots that might close the gap before meeting with the candidate Wednesday to determine whether he should concede or fight on.
One senior Democrat familiar with the discussions had said Kerry's running mate, Sen. John Edwards, was suggesting to Kerry that he shouldn't concede. The official said Edwards, a trial lawyer, wanted to make sure that all options were explored and Democrats pursued them as thoroughly as Republicans would if the positions were reversed.
At the Polls
Polls closed Tuesday night in all 50 states and the nation's capital in a race that was called one of the most hotly contested in American history. Iowa, New Mexico and Wisconsin were too close to call at 11:30 a.m. EST on Wednesday. As of that time, Bush had 269 electoral votes; Kerry had 242. The victor needs 270 to win. An electoral tie would throw the race to the GOP-led U.S. House of Representatives to decide.
Bush won Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming, FOX News projects.
Kerry won California, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington, FOX News projects.
So far, New Hampshire is the only state to switch parties from the 2000 election outcome.
If Nevada and New Mexico had been called for the president, it was expected that Bush would have spoken Wednesday morning, but as dawn neared, the president went to bed. Vice President Dick Cheney also called it a night before daybreak, saying he wanted to sleep and eat some breakfast before starting the new day.
Around 4 a.m. EST Wednesday, New Mexico's secretary of state and election staff went home for the night. They were to resume ballot counting around 9 a.m. Before they left, they said thousands of absentee ballots have to be examined by hand, not to mention the many provisional ballots which they will go through regardless of the outcome.
Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie said the Election Day results show the country is not as divided as suspected.
"I think we saw obviously tonight a decisive win in the popular vote. I suspect that when everybody wakes up tomorrow, the Republicans will have 55 seats in the United States Senate as a result of the president's strong push across the country, and we will gain seats in the House of Representatives as well. So, I'm not sure the country is as closely divided as is made out to be," Gillespie said around 3:30 a.m. EST. "It looks to me a very decisive win today."
Fight for Ohio
Allegations of voter suppression abounded in The Buckeye State. Kerry campaign manager Mary Beth Cahill said the challenger's camp was not buying the projected tally in the crucial battleground state.
"The vote count in Ohio has not been completed. There are more than 250,000 remaining votes to be counted. We believe when they are, John Kerry will win Ohio," a statement read.
Around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, Edwards took the stage at Copley Square in Boston to give supporters a brief pep talk.
Introduced as the "next vice president of the United States," the North Carolina senator told Democratic supporters gathered for a victory rally to go home.
"It's been a long night but we've waited four years for this victory - we can wait one more night," Edwards said. "John and I are so proud of all of you who are here with us and all of you throughout the country who have stood with us through this campaign ... [We] promised every vote would count and every vote would be counted. Tonight, we are keeping our word and we will fight for every vote. You deserve no less. Thank you."
But one Bush-Cheney strategist said Kerry had no chance of pulling a win out of Ohio.
"Impossible ... he can't make up for his margin of defeat. This is a desperate ploy," he said.
Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell told FOX News early Wednesday morning that about 5.8 million to 5.9 million people voted this year - about 1 million more than in 2000. He projected about a 72 percent voter turnout this year, as compared to 63 percent in 2000.
"This is a real spike," he said. "We're going to count every vote that was cast today and we're going to do it in a bipartisan system … that represents the true will of the people."
Provisional ballots are not counted until about 11 days after election. If the margin of victory for one candidate or another is comprised of fewer votes than the number of provisional ballots they have, Blackwell said, "that could stretch it out … [But] if it takes two more days, if it takes two more weeks," they will be counted.
Blackwell released provisional vote numbers for 78 of Ohio's 88 counties, showing a total of 135,149 provisional ballots, according to Blackwell's Web site. It appeared that the difference in the number of votes for the two candidates was greater than the number of outstanding ballots.
In Ohio alone, the Kerry camp had 3,200 lawyers and paralegals on standby. Meanwhile, 27,843 volunteers were on standby statewide, 2,829 out-of-staters were in Ohio driving voters to the polls and the campaign had 270 full-time paid staffers in Ohio, as compared with 40 for Al Gore four years ago.
Bush: 'I Believe I Will Win'
Bush, watching the returns at the White House residence with first lady Laura Bush on election night, his parents, daughters Jenna and Barbara, sister Dorothy and her husband Bobby, brothers Neil and Marvin and sister-in-law Margaret, said the Bush clan was "very upbeat."
"I believe I will win, thank you very much. I feel good about it," Bush said. "I'm glad to be able to watch the returns here with my family and friends. It's going to be an exciting evening."
Bush, voting earlier in the day at a local firehouse in Crawford, Texas, made reference to the last presidential election.
"I think it's very important for it to end tonight," Bush told reporters, referring to the expected legal challenges in some districts. "The world watches our great democracy function."
The senator from Massachusetts cast his ballot in Boston. "I am very confident that we have made the case for change for new leadership for a fresh start," Kerry said.
Upon his return to Massachusetts from Wisconsin for a last-chance stop, Kerry bent over and touched the ground. He ate his traditional Election Day lunch of littleneck clams and a dark beer at his lucky restaurant, Boston's historic Union Oyster House.
Cheney and his wife Lynne cast their votes Tuesday morning in Wilson, Wyo. Edwards voted in his home state of North Carolina.
Fight for the Battlegrounds
Late into Tuesday night, Republicans were feeling much better about their position, and said their numbers were much more accurate than the exit polls.
One strategist was asked by FOX News just how bad they felt when they saw the early exit polls. "I bought a box of Kleenex, but didn't open them," he said.
"At the beginning of the night, we were asking how we could have been so far off," the strategist said. Now, they say the actual numbers are far closer to their projections than the early exit polls.
But Independent candidate Ralph Nader told FOX News Tuesday night that no matter who wins -- Bush or Kerry -- voters will lose. The goal of his campaign was to "put the progressive agenda before the public," he said.
"It's a winner-take-all mindset of most people," Nader said of why he didn't get farther than he did in this presidential election. "[Voters] know that only one of the two, Republican or Democrat, is going to win. The system is very rigged against" other candidates, he added. "The problem is, the two parties keep saying to us, 'vote for the winner' and they keep losing" to corporate interests, he continued.
FOX News' Jim Angle, Steve Brown, Carl Cameron, Mike Emanuel, Wendell Goler and Kelly Wright contributed to this report.
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