WASHINGTON — President Bush formally won a second term in office Wednesday and quickly promised to unite the country after a taut and chaotic contest that wasn't decided until the pivotal state of Ohio went to Bush in the late morning after Election Day.
"We had a long night — and a great night," Bush told cheering followers in Washington at a midafternoon rally. "The voters turned out in record numbers and delivered an historic victory."
Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, just hours after a pre-dawn vow by his campaign to wait until all votes in Ohio were counted, acknowledged in Boston that his grueling bid for the White House would end in defeat and opted to forgo a lengthy legal challenge. (Related link: Bush basks in victory)
"I wish, you don't know how much, that I could have brought this race home," Kerry told supporters.
After months of predictions of a too-close-to-call contest, Bush won nationwide balloting 51%-48%, making him the 15th president elected to a second term and the first to win both a majority of the popular vote and the Electoral College since his father in 1988. The GOP also extended its majorities in the House and Senate.
The results give Bush the public mandate and congressional support he needs to sustain his policies in Iraq and the war on terror. His re-election, which avoids the fate his father suffered at the hands of Bill Clinton in 1992, also gives him a stronger base to pursue a conservative domestic agenda that includes making permanent the $1.9 trillion in tax cuts won in his first term.
Bush reached out to his opponents. "To make this nation stronger and better, I will need your support," he said, referring to Kerry supporters, "and I will work to earn it." Kerry called Bush to concede about 11 a.m. Aides said Bush told Kerry he was "an admirable, worthy opponent."
Kerry's concession came despite his supporters' pleas to wait until an estimated 150,000 outstanding ballots were counted in Ohio. But Kerry said those votes would not be enough to win. The state's 20 electoral votes assured Bush the 270 needed for victory.
Bush strengthened his showing from the 2000 election, in which he lost the popular vote to Vice President Al Gore but won the electoral count 36 days later.
Bush's coattails may have been the difference this year in boosting GOP congressional candidates. In the Senate, almost-final counts showed Republicans picking up four seats, bolstering their previous 51-48 majority. Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., lost a contentious race, making him the first Senate leader voted from office in 50 years.
In the House, preliminary returns showed Republicans increasing their existing 227-205 majority to 231-201. It's the first time the GOP has held the House for 12 straight years since January 1933.
Voter turnout hit record highs nationally, with about 120 million people casting ballots, nearly 60% of those eligible, according to Curtis Gans of the non-partisan Committee for the Study of the American Electorate. With nearly all precincts counted nationally, Bush led Kerry by about 3.5 million votes. The vote total for Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney was higher than any previous presidential ticket.
Democratic strategists had predicted that turnout at those levels would assure victory. But Democratic voter drives were matched in large part by Republicans, particularly religious conservatives. (Related link: Kerry concedes)
In the end, the states broke for Bush much as they did in 2000. Bush lost one state that he won in 2000: New Hampshire. Late Wednesday, the Associated Press reported New Mexico went to Bush. Iowa was still undecided. Both states backed Gore in 2000.
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