Changes

The final official recount in Florida showed Bush the winner by 537 votes.  Gore supporters asked the Florida state Supreme Court to again recount votes in some counties where they thought Gore might add votes, but to ignore counties where they thought Bush would gain.  The U.S. Supreme Court ruled this strategy illegal, and the result was accepted by Gore, who indeed announced the Florida vote for Bush in his role as Vice President.

The final official recount in Florida showed Bush the winner by 537 votes.  Gore supporters asked the Florida state Supreme Court to again recount votes in some counties where they thought Gore might add votes, but to ignore counties where they thought Bush would gain.  The U.S. Supreme Court ruled this strategy illegal, and the result was accepted by Gore, who indeed announced the Florida vote for Bush in his role as Vice President.

The campaigns of both [[Ralph Nader]] on the [[Green Party]] ticket and [[Pat Buchanan]] on the [[Reform Party]] ticket gained some media attention during the campaign. With the election so close people speculated that they had "caused" the result. Democrats never forgave Nader.

The campaigns of both [[Ralph Nader]] on the [[Green Party]] ticket and [[Pat Buchanan]] on the [[Reform Party]] ticket gained some media attention during the campaign. Gore's affiliation with Clinton and the [[racist]] [[DLC]] machine<ref>http://www.blackcommentator.com/46/46_cover.html</ref> caused critics—Green Party progressive candidate [[Ralph Nader]] in particular—to assert that Bush and Gore were too similar, especially on free trade, reductions in social welfare, and the death penalty. "We want to punish the Democrats, we want to hurt them, wound them," Nader's closest advisor said.<ref>Harry G. Levinem "Ralph Nader, Suicide Bomber." ''The Village Voice'' May 3, 2004 at [http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0418,levine,53179,1.html]</ref> With the election so close leftists speculated that they had "caused" the result. Democrats never forgave Nader.

There has also been much speculation on what might have happened if there had been recounts under different rules. A consortium of newspapers did an investigation of multiple scenarios. They concluded Gore would have won in some versions and Bush in other versions; ironically, Bush would have won under the recounts that Gore had proposed.  In a rare situation in Presidential elections, Al Gore lost his home state of [[Tennessee]] to George Bush.  Had he carried that state, the whole question of how Florida voted would have been moot.

There has also been much speculation on what might have happened if there had been recounts under different rules. A consortium of newspapers did an investigation of multiple scenarios. They concluded Gore would have won in some versions and Bush in other versions; ironically, Bush would have won under the recounts that Gore had proposed.  In a rare situation in Presidential elections, Al Gore lost his home state of [[Tennessee]] to George Bush.  Had he carried that state, the whole question of how Florida voted would have been moot.