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Article: Era of close elections: nothing new.(On the Record)
- Article from:
- Campaigns & Elections
- Article date:
- September 1, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 Campaigns & Elections, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The presidential election of 2000 will always be remembered for its closeness. The saga of Republican George W. Bush's 271-267 Electoral College win over his Democratic opposition, despite Al Gore's 540,520 popular vote plurality, hung on the disposition of Florida's 25 Electoral votes and that state's contested, razor-thin ballot tally.
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If past polls are any indication of where the 2004 election is headed, we could see another cliffhanger this November. Which is why some observers are now asking: Is partisan parity and intense voter polarization simply a characteristic of the current Bush era? Or is it a deeper, lasting ...