Yesterday, Bush claimed at least 30 states, winning at least 246, while Gore triumphed in 18 and the District of Columbia, giving him at least 249 electoral votes.

Green Party candidate Ralph Nader did not perform as well he wanted, receiving 3 percent of the popular vote and failing to meet the 5 percent benchmark he needed to give his party federal matching funds in 2004. But his margins in several key Western states helped deprive Gore of needed strength.

In early results last night, Bush jumped out to a lead, winning Indiana, Kentucky, South Carolina, Georgia and Virginia while Gore only claimed Vermont.

At 7:50 p.m., a Gore victory was projected for Florida, a crucial and fiercely contested state worth 25 electoral votes. Ten minutes later, television networks declared that Bush won Texas and several small states. Gore won comfortably in several mid-sized states on the East Coast, as well as electoral-heavy Michigan and Illinois.

Those victories led Gore staffers to confidently predict that the election would be the first since 1960 to be decided by the West Coast states--and that the favorable news coverage of Gore's East Coast victories would give them an edge among late voters on the West Coast.

Gore supporters were further bolstered by announcement of a victory in Pennsylvania--where the two candidates campaigned more than in any other state.

Gore aides attributed their Pennsylvania victory to an extensive get-out-the-vote effort, saying that the Rev. Jesse Jackson's appearances in Philadelphia helped them turn out large numbers of black voters.

Bush claimed a symbolic victory in Tennessee--the vice president's home state.