NewsMax.com Wires
Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2004

Kerry Concedes to Bush: 'Congratulations, Mr. President'

7 a.m. EST Wednesday

CNN has called Wisconsin for Sen. John Kerry, but it and ABC and CBS continue to refuse to recognize President Bush's victory in Ohio and thus his re-election.

The popular vote, with 99 percent counted: 58,275,465 for Bush (51 percent), the first majority won by a president since Bush's father in 1988; 54,749,011 for Kerry (48 percent).

Bush was ahead in Iowa and New Mexico.

4 a.m. EST Wednesday

President Bush has won Nevada, ABC News reported. Its five electoral votes give him at least 274, more than the 270 needed for victory, with Wisconsin, Iowa and New Mexico still to be counted.

2:55 a.m. EST Wednesday

CNN has called Minnesota for Sen. John Kerry ... while continuing to refuse to admit that President Bush has won Ohio and already has 269 of the needed 270 electoral votes. Bush is ahead in Iowa, New Mexico and Nevada, and Kerry is ahead in Wisconsin. With 90 percent of the popular vote counted, Bush leads 51-48.

2:35 a.m. EST Wednesday

Sen. John Kerry will win Hawaii, NBC projected.

2:25 a.m. EST Wednesday

Sen. John Kerry has won Michigan, FNC projected.

2:05 a.m. EST Wednesday

President Bush is leading in New Mexico 52-47 with 95 percent of the vote in and is leading in Iowa. Either state would cement his re-election, but John Kerry is refusing to admit his defeat in Ohio.

Sen. Teddy Kennedy is conferring with his protege Kerry, FNC reported.

1 a.m. EST Wednesday

With polls closed in Alaska, FNC called the state for President Bush and reported that even if Sen. John Kerry wins the seven remaining states all he'll have is a tie.

12:42 a.m. EST Wednesday

President Bush has again won crucial Ohio, FNC projected. Assuming he wins heavily Republican Alaska, all he needs is one more state to win re-election, it reported: New Mexico, Nevada, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota or Michigan.

12:35 a.m. EST Wednesday

In the first state from the 2000 presidential race to switch parties, Sen. John Kerry has taken neighboring New Hampshire, FNC projected.

12:15 a.m. EST Wednesday

CBS News and FNC have called Oregon for Sen. John Kerry. CBS's electoral count: Bush 246, Kerry 207.

midnight EST

CBS News has called Colorado for President Bush. Its electoral count: Bush 246, Kerry 199.

11:40 p.m. EST

ABC News has called crucial Florida for President Bush. Its count of the electoral vote: Bush 237, Kerry 188. The winner needs 270.

Democrats failed to turn out their voters in heavily Democrat southeast Florida, ABC reported. Bush had a higher turnout in many Republican counties than in 2000, FNC and others reported.

11:25 p.m. EST

FNC has called Montana for Bush. In Florida, with 95 percent of the vote in, Bush led 52-47. In Ohio, with only 61 percent of the vote counted, Bush led 52-48.

11:15 p.m. EST

CNN has called California for Kerry. Its map gives the president 197 electoral votes and Kerry 188, but Kerry's total apparently does not include Washington's 11 votes (270 are needed to win. So far no states have switched parties from the 2000 election. With 54 percent of the popular vote counted, Bush had 51 percent, Kerry 48.

11:05 p.m. EST

FNC called Washington for Kerry shortly after calling Idaho for Bush.

10:55 p.m. EST

MSNBC and CNN have called Pennsylvania for Kerry, and MSNBC called Arizona for Bush. Moments later FNC called Pennsylvania for Kerry.

10:30 p.m. EST

CNN has added Missouri and Arkansas to Bush's column and does not predict a winner in Pennsylvania, leaving Bush with 193 electoral votes to Kerry's 112 so far. FNC has not yet called Missouri and Arkansas for Bush, but he was expected to win these again.

10 p.m. EST

Sen. John Kerry has won Pennsylvania, FNC projected, but then it later said the race was too close to call, though Kerry was handily leading in early returns. President Bush led in early returns in Michigan, Missouri and New Mexico. CNN reported that Bush had won Utah again.

9:57 p.m. EST

President Bush has again won Mississippi, FNC projected.

9:30 p.m. EST

President Bush has again won Louisiana, FNC projected.

More projections are a repeat of 2000: Rhode Island and New York for the Democrat; the Dakotas, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas for Bush.

8:30 p.m. EST

President Bush has again won Virginia and John Edwards' home base of North Carolina, FNC projected.

8:18 p.m. EST

Here are the latest nationwide election returns in the race for president with 4 percent of the nation's precincts reporting. The winner is marked with an 'x'.

Kerry 2,304,757 - 43 percent

Has won 9 states including the District of Columbia with 77 ev.

Leads in 2 states with 24 ev.

Bush 3,078,132 - 57 percent

Has won 7 states with 66 ev.

Leads in 6 states with 103 ev.

Others 39,796 - 1 percent

8:15 p.m. EST

President Bush has again won South Carolina, FNC projected.

8:05 p.m. EST

Here are the latest nationwide election returns in the race for president with 3 percent of the nation's precincts reporting. The winner is marked with an 'x'.

Kerry 1,529,495 - 42 percent

Has won 4 states with 51 ev.

Leads in 1 state with 4 ev.

Bush 2,062,641 - 57 percent

Has won 5 states with 48 ev.

Leads in 6 states with 94 ev.

Others 27,642 - 1 percent

8 p.m. EST

Sen. John Kerry has won Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, the District of Columbia and Illinois, FNC projected, all Democrats states in 2000. Bush has again won Tennessee, Alabama and Oklahoma. One of Maine's four electoral votes could go to Bush, FNC said.

7:30 p.m. EST

President Bush has won West Virginia, a former Democrat stronghold he also won in 2000, FNC projected. Other projections show him winning Georgia again.

7:24 p.m.

Here are the latest nationwide election returns in the race for president with 1 percent of the nation's precincts reporting. The winner is marked with an "x."

Kerry 309,282 - 43 percent

Has won 1 state with 3 ev.

Leads in 0 state with 0 ev.

Bush 403,239 - 56 percent

Has won 3 states with 34 ev.

Leads in 3 states with 39 ev.

Others 5,489 - 1 percent

7 p.m. EST

Based on exit polls, Fox News Channel called Kentucky and Indiana for President Bush and Vermont for Sen. John Kerry; the projected results in all three states are as expected.

Here are the latest nationwide election returns in the race for president with 0 percent of the nation's precincts reporting. The winner is marked with an 'x'.

6:46 p.m. EST

Kerry 48,589 - 42 percent

Has won 0 state with 0 ev.

Leads in 0 state with 0 ev.

Bush 65,880 - 57 percent

Has won 0 state with 0 ev.

Leads in 2 states with 19 ev.

Others 922 - 1 percent

6:35 p.m. EST

Kerry 13,149 - 42 percent

Has won 0 state with 0 ev.

Leads in 0 state with 0 ev.

Bush 17,597 - 57 percent

Has won 0 state with 0 ev.

Leads in 2 states with 19 ev.

Others 264 - 1 percent

6:27 p.m. EST

Kerry 3,824 - 38 percent

Has won 0 state with 0 electoral votes.

Leads in 0 state with 0 ev.

Bush 6,177 - 61 percent

Has won 0 state with 0 ev.

Leads in 2 states with 19 ev.

Others 83 - 1 percent

Needed to win: 270 of the 538 electoral votes (ev) from the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Totals of popular vote from Associated Press

Editor's note: