Webcast News Service, November 3, 2004

President George W. Bush has won reelection with a narrow victory over Democratic challenger John Kerry. With 97 percent of the nation's precincts counted, Bush leads in the popular vote 51 percent to 48 percent, and in the electoral vote tally 286 to 252. It takes 270 electoral votes to win the presidency.

Kerry has refused to concede the election, citing the tight races in Ohio, Iowa, and New Mexico. With 99 percent of the precincts counted in the three states, Bush leads Ohio 51 percent to 49 percent, and Iowa and New Mexico 51 percent to 49 percent. Ohio has 20 electoral votes, Iowa 7, and New Mexico 5. Kerry's running mate John Edwards said, "We will fight for every vote," implying potential legal challenges.

The Republicans also maintained control of the Senate and the House of Representatives. This is the first time voters re-elected a Republican President, Republican Senate and Republican House since President William McKinley and the GOP Congress in 1900.

Republicans will likely increase their Senate majority by four seats to control 55 of the 100 Senate seats. Democratic Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle was defeated by John Thune in South Dakota. The last time a Senate party leader was unseated was in 1952, when Barry Goldwater of Arizona turned Democratic leader Ernest McFarland out of office. The only bright spot for the Democrats was in Illinois, where Democratic State Sen. Barack Obama captured a seat formerly in Republican hands.

Republicans extended their decade-long hold on the House for another two years and were on their way to slightly expanding their majority, knocking off four veteran Democrats in the re-gerrymandered Texas. By early Wednesday morning, Republicans had won 228 seats and were leading in five others, which could give them at least 233 seats. That would be an effective four-seat gain for the GOP. Democrats had 199 seats and led in two. There are 435 seats in the House, with 218 needed for majority control.

Kerry won the northeast, including electoral vote-rich New York and Pennsylvania and his home state of Massachusetts. Kerry also won the midwestern states of Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin; the west coast states of California, Oregon, and Washington; and Hawaii.

Bush's tally includes most of the rest of the country, including the south, the Rocky Mountain states, part of the midwest, and Alaska.

Although Bush's margin of victory was small in percentage terms, the race marks the first time that the victor has won a majority of the popular vote since Bush's father was elected in 1988. Third party candidacies by H. Ross Perot in 1992 and 1996 prevented Bill Clinton from receiving a majority of the vote, while third party candidacies by Ralph Nader and Pat Buchanan had a similar effect in the 2000 race.