By Doug Anderson
Chris Cannon said Wednesday, Nov. 8, he expects Vice President Al Gore to prolong conceding the presidential election past 5 p.m. Eastern time, which Gov. George Bush announced as the time the Florida recount would be completed.
“He will clearly hold off until enough of the absentee ballots come in and he can’t statistically win,” he said.
The newly re-elected 3rd District Congressman said although he anticipated Gore would not announce his defeat prior to a Florida recount, he did not expect Democrats to react to the recount in the manner they did.
“What surprised me was the vehemence of the Democrat response,” Cannon said.
Cannon said he was confident Bush would remain victorious when the Florida smoke clears.
“There is some doubt,” he said. “But it is significantly more likely that he won. Frankly, I hate to think of the alternative.”
Because Gore will win the popular vote, however, Cannon said Bush’s presidential mandate may be weak. He said the first reflection of how the American public react to a president elected through the electoral vote and not the popular vote will be evident in the next congressional election.
“It’s going to be an interesting four years for him,” Cannon said. “People will either like what the Republicans are doing or not.”
The congressional incumbent said he expects some Americans will call to change the current Electoral College system, but said he supports the current system as it was created by the Founding Fathers and placed in the Constitution.
