Bush v. Gore: 'Too close to call' (2015)

In the early hours of November 8, 2000, Vice President Al Gore prepares to concede the presidential election to George W. Bush. However, last-minute information from his campaign, particularly from Mike Feldman and David Morehouse, reveals that the Florida results are too close to call and will trigger an automatic recount. Gore dramatically retracts his concession in a telephone call to Bush, leading to an unprecedented night of political uncertainty and a declaration by Bill Daley that the race is too close to call and the campaign continues.

Before election day, polls indicated a dead heat. Early election night projections initially called Florida for Al Gore, but within minutes, networks, including CNN, retracted their predictions, moving Florida back to 'too close to call.' This chaos was attributed to flawed exit polling data, misreported vote counts in Florida, and confusing ballots. News anchors were left scrambling to explain the unprecedented situation to their audience, highlighting the breakdown of the projection system.

As the night progresses, Joe Lieberman and his wife learn that news organizations are calling Florida, and thus the presidency, for Bush. Al Gore, despite his campaign's ongoing analysis, decides to concede and places a brief, terse call to George W. Bush. However, Gore's campaign team, including Michael Whouley, is unaware of this concession and is still crunching numbers, believing they haven't lost. Jeb Bush, the Governor of Florida, was also surprised by Gore's initial concession, believing it was still too close.

With the election undecided, both campaigns mobilize legal teams to Florida. Ron Klain leads the Gore team, while James Baker is appointed to lead the Bush team, anticipating a fight that will ultimately involve the Supreme Court. Warren Christopher leads the legal team for the Democrats. A key meeting between Baker and Christopher reveals their differing strategies and the Bush team's resolve to certify Bush's victory.

The Gore team expresses concern about the fairness of the process in Florida, given that Governor Jeb Bush, George W. Bush's brother, held office. They claim that no major law firms in Florida would work for Al Gore, fearing antagonism from the Bush family. Katherine Harris, the Republican Florida Secretary of State and co-chair for Bush's state campaign, is seen as biased by the Gore campaign, overseeing the recount process that they believed was rigged against them.

Katherine Harris, as Secretary of State, is responsible for the recount in Florida, but her dual role as George W. Bush's state campaign co-chair raises conflicts of interest. Mac Stipanovich, a Republican lobbyist, advises Harris and outlines a strategy to quickly end the recount and cement Bush's lead. He admits to prioritizing a Bush victory by shutting down options that could alter the outcome, despite potential public backlash.

Democrats highlight significant ballot issues, including the confusing butterfly ballot in Palm Beach County, which allegedly led many Gore voters to mistakenly vote for Pat Buchanan. Many believe this ballot design was a critical factor in Gore's loss. Critics suggest that the Gore campaign should have challenged this ballot before the election, as the design had been approved by Democratic officials. The Democratic strategy to recount only four heavily Democratic counties is later viewed as a significant mistake by some on their side.

As the recount drags on, tensions rise with protests outside the Vice President's house. Both campaigns employ image management: Bush delegates authority to James Baker, projecting confidence, while Gore micro-manages every detail of the fight. The decision to focus recounts on only four counties, all heavily Democratic, gives the Bush campaign a strategic advantage, allowing them to frame the Democrats as unfairly attempting to sway the election.

On November 26, after weeks of legal battles, Secretary of State Katherine Harris formally certifies George W. Bush as the winner of Florida's 25 electoral votes, with a margin of 537 votes. Joe Lieberman publicly disputes the accuracy of this certification, stating that the fight is not over. The Florida Supreme Court subsequently orders a manual recount of all undervotes statewide, giving Gore a temporary advantage.

The legal battle escalates to the U.S. Supreme Court. On December 9, in a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court halts the recount, effectively ending Gore's chances. Lawyers David Boies (for Gore) and Ted Olson (for Bush) present their arguments, with Olson successfully arguing that the Florida court had changed election rules mid-game. The Supreme Court's ruling reverses the Florida Supreme Court's decision, declaring Bush the winner. The news reaches Republican headquarters via fax machine, leading to celebrations.

Democrats express lasting regrets, questioning if they should have been more aggressive and if Gore's initial concession was a mistake. They also wonder if they underutilized Bill Clinton. Despite winning the popular vote by over half a million, Al Gore loses both the Electoral College and the Supreme Court decision. Even years later, there's a consensus that nobody can definitively prove how voters intended to vote, with Republican operative Mac Stipanovich admitting that those who intended to vote probably elected Al Gore. The 2000 election remains one of the closest and most controversial in modern history.