After 2:30 a.m., Gore telephoned Bush to concede the election.
Moments later, there was a scramble.
The final returns from Florida showed the margin of victory to be within 200 votes, forcing an immediate recount in Dade County, home to the late totaled precincts.
In Austin, the crowed grew hushed, and in Nashville, a sense of nervous excitement rebounded.
At about 3:35 a.m., Gore called Bush to retract his concession.
Given the tiny margin of an apparent Bush victory, the state of Florida announced a mandatory recount after 3:30 a.m.
Network anchors responsible for communicating the news were often left unable to muster commentary. This was a scenario they had not planned for, 40 years after John F. Kennedy '40 famously squeaked out a victory over Richard M. Nixon by winning Illinois by a margin of less than 9000 votes.
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