Bush takes Florida, Kerry needs Ohio

George Bush scored a key victory in Tuesday’s extremely tight United States presidential vote, taking the crucial battleground state of Florida that proved decisive in the 2000 election, US television networks projected.

Still, results in many of the hotly contested critical swing states were too close to call and hours after all polls had officially closed nationwide the networks were holding off on calling them for Bush or challenger John Kerry.

Bush won Florida’s 27 electoral votes, beating Kerry by 52% to 47% in the state, ABC and CBS television reported, bringing the incumbent to 237 electoral votes, just 33

fewer than he needs to win re-election.

Kerry had earlier taken Pennsylvania, another key battleground state, according to all the major networks, which brought the challenger to 199 electoral votes. A candidate needs 270 electoral votes to win.

With Florida in hand, Bush led Kerry by 38 electoral votes, having been projected to win 25 states to Kerry’s 13 plus the District of Columbia, the networks said.

After losing Florida, Kerry’s White House dreams rested increasingly on the Midwestern state of Ohio and its 20 electoral votes, which he must win to stay in the race.

”There is no question, Ohio is absolutely crucial,” said Democratic Party chairperson Terry McAullife.

But with all US polling stations officially closed except for some remaining open to accommodate unusually large voter turnout, Ohio and several other tight remained in play with results too close to call.

Another 102 electoral votes, enough to tilt the balance, were still up for grabs, including Ohio and more in Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Nevada, and Wisconsin, other hotly contested states.

Bush won Colorado, Nevada and Ohio in the 2000 election, but this year, well after polls closed, the networks said those states remained in play.

Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico and Wisconsin — all of which were taken by Bush’s 2000 challenger Al Gore — were also impossible to call, the networks said.

Bush told reporters at the White House he was ”very upbeat” and predicted victory over Kerry. ”I believe I will win … I feel good about it,” he said.

The narrow margins revealed by Tuesday’s preliminary returns and exit polls suggested another extremely close race amid heavy voter turnout.

In terms of the popular vote, Bush was leading with 41,9-million votes, or 51%, to Kerry’s 39,3-million votes, or 48%, with 65% of the country’s precincts reporting, according to CNN.

Bush pulled out victories in several states that he had been widely expected to win but had been too close to call until several hours after their polls closed.

After hesitating initially, all the major US networks projected that Bush, as he did in 2000, would take North and South Carolina and Virginia with their 36 electoral votes.

In addition to those states, Bush was set to win Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming, according to the networks.

Along with California and Pennsyvlania, the projections showed Kerry taking Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia. – Sapa-AFP

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