9781422275641

spot for George W. in the National Guard to prevent him from being drafted to fight in Vietnam. After earning a master’s degree in business administration, Bush made money in the oil industry and bought a stake in a professional baseball team. He ran for Congress but was not elected. He did not seek further political office until after his father’s presidency. Then he ran for governor of Texas and was elected. As governor, Bush made major improvements in the state’s school systems, dra- matically expanded Texas’s prison system, and opposed greater restrictions on guns. His presidential campaign focused in part on poverty, education, and minorities. The campaign was hard fought and seemed close through Election Day. On that November 7, only about half of all eligible voters cast their ballots in the pres- idential election. Little did they know how important each vote would prove to be. After polling booths closed on the East Coast, the television networks began airing predictions of the election results based on polls of voters as they left the places where they had voted. The state of Florida was considered to be a key state for the presidential candidates, but early results indicated that the election there was too close to call. Then, at 8:00 p.m., the television networks began to declare that Al Gore had won in Florida. Many felt that this was a sign that the Democrat would become the next president. Other states began to fall to the candidates as expected. Pennsylvania and Michigan were declared to have been won by Gore; Ohio was a victory for Bush. Still, the Bush campaign refused to give up on Florida. Bush’s brother, Jeb Bush, was the governor of Florida, and the Bush campaign’s own polls suggested that the state might prove a victory for Bush rather than Gore. Two hours after the television networks declared that Al Gore had won the state of Florida’s electoral votes, network news anchors were forced to make an embarrassing announcement: The declaration had been premature; the election results in that state were too close to call. As polling places closed across the country, each state became increasingly crucial. California, with its prized 54 electoral votes, went to Al Gore, as did Iowa. The networks—and the campaigns—tallied up the electoral votes belonging to each candidate. Neither one had yet received enough electoral votes to be declared the winner. It all came down to one state: Florida. Whoever won Florida would win the presidential election. Finally, two hours and 20 minutes after voting ended in Alaska, the television networks once again made an announcement: Florida had been won by George W.

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How the President is Elected

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