Other networks did the same minutes later.
A Florida win would place an Electoral College win well within reach for Gore.
But then, a little before 10 p.m., VNS and the networks saw something strange: The actual tallies gave Bush the edge in the state, while the exit polls predicted a Gore win.
With disbelief in their voices, network anchors retracted the concession, placing the state back in their undecided columns.
"We don't just have egg in our face, we have omelet all over our suits," said NBC's Tom Brokaw.
For several hours thereafter, confusion reigned.
The Bush campaign called network political directors and insisted that key Republican precincts in the panhandle of Florida hadn't yet been counted, while Gore staffers claimed that the reliably Democratic counties of Metro-Dade and Broward in South Florida hadn't yet come in.
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