This Day in History:
Al Gore Concedes
Presidential Election December 13,
2000 The Vice President
conceded defeat to
Texas Governor George W. Bush. His concession followed
weeks of legal battles
over the recounting
of votes in Florida. In a televised speech, Gore said that
though he disagreed with the Supreme
Court verdict that ended his campaign,
”partisan rancor must now be put aside.” Gore had won the
national popular vote
by more than 500,000 votes. But his narrow loss of
Florida gave the Electoral
College to Bush, 271 to 266. A little more than an hour later,
Bush addressed the nation
for the first time as president-elect.