Forty minutes after that announcement, CNN retracted its Florida projection for Gore and made it a toss-up state once more, jolting both campaign headquarters. Networks followed suit.
There were no indications this morning of why the call was retracted.
In Austin, the announcement energized the Bush crowd, whose cheering overshadowed the sound of the big-screen TV monitor for a full 30 seconds.
"I was really feeling kind of nervous until that change," said Bush supporter Miles Ragland.
"If I can bottle [how I felt], I'd make millions," added Bush supporter Nadine Arnet, dressed up as former Texas Gov. Ann Richards.
In Nashville, a silence fell over the visibly shaken partisans at the Nashville Sheraton Downtown, the headquarters of Gore's victory celebration.
The next several hours brought announcement of mostly expected victories, as Bush claimed New Hampshire, Utah, Idaho, Montana, West Virginia, Colorado and Alaska, while Gore won in Hawaii and Washington.
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