WASHINGTON (voa) – President Bush and Democratic challenger John Kerry are locked in a very tight presidential election, with the Kerry campaign refusing to concede defeat in the battleground state of Ohio.
The race to the White House is extremely close, with Mr. Bush projected to win 249 electoral votes and Mr. Kerry 242 so far. A Bush victory in Ohio would put the Republican incumbent just one electoral vote away from winning the 270 votes he needs for victory.
Democratic Vice Presidential candidate John Edwards says he and running mate John Kerry intend to “fight for every vote.” He says the Democrats have waited four years for the presidency and that they can wait one more night. With 98 percent of the Ohio vote counted, Mr. Bush is ahead by more than 100,000 votes. But Kerry campaign officials say there are 250,000 votes remaining to be counted in Ohio.
Exit polls indicate Mr. Bush is the winner in 27 states, mainly in the South and West. Mr. Kerry is the projected winner in 18 states in the Northeast, Midwest and West Coast along with Washington, DC.
Turnout was reported heavy as voters finally declared their choice for president after a long and heated campaign focused on the war on terrorism, Iraq and the economy.
