Republicans, Democrats sweat it out

Alex Coolman

NEWPORT BEACH -- Newport-Mesa Republicans waited anxiously late into

the night Tuesday as Vice President Al Gore and Texas Gov. George W. Bush

fought through the tightest presidential election in a generation.

At the Sutton Place Hotel on MacArthur Boulevard, Republican Party

officials and the rank and file kept their eyes glued to television

monitors showing which states had been captured by Bush.

Locally, Republicans lived up to expectations. Preliminary numbers

showed Reps. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach) and Christopher Cox

(R-Newport Beach) winning by large margins. State Assembly candidate John

Campbell and state Senate incumbent Ross Johnson also were cruising to

solid victories.

Democrats, in every local race, captured little more than a third of

the vote.

On the presidential front, however, polls revealed an excruciatingly

tight race.

As Bush moved state by state toward what Republicans hoped would be

victory, they greeted bits of news with deafening cries. The news that

“Dubya” had won in Alaska set off a chant that shook the room.

“Florida! Florida! Florida!” went the cry.

The state of Florida, which carries 25 electoral votes, turned out to

be pivotal in the race. Early television coverage of the returns

indicated that Gore had captured the vote in the Sunshine State.

But CNN and other networks later revised their reports on Florida to

indicate that the state was questionable or possibly leaning toward a

Bush victory.

Some of the Republicans at the Sutton Place said they found the poll

juggling infuriating.

“It’s nonsense,” said Newport Beach resident Ron Winship. “They should

never put a state in somebody’s column unless they’re sure about it.”

Rohrabacher went one step further in brief remarks to the hotel crowd.

“They lied about Florida. They tried to steal Mississippi,”

Rohrabacher said. “But we’re going to save America!”

For Democrats, many of whom were gathered at Hennessey’s Tavern in

Dana Point, the night was one of tense optimism.

Early in the evening, as networks called the states of Florida and

Pennsylvania for Gore, Orange County Democratic chairwoman Jeane Costales

sounded upbeat.

“We have so many people out getting people to the polls,” she said.

“That’s all we’ve been doing. I think we’re going to win.”

Later in the night, after Florida appeared to have been taken by Bush

and many other states had gone to the Republican as well, Democrats were

still managing to maintain what 73rd Assembly District candidate Robert

Wilberg called a “festive” atmosphere.

“Gore is 100% in the race,” Wilberg said as Florida remained decidedly

up for grabs more than seven hours after its polls had closed. “He’s

going to win. There’s no doubt in my mind.”