White House Race Coming Down to Ohio

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By RON FOURNIER, AP Political Writer

WASHINGTON - With Ohio looming as a Florida redux, President Bush (news - web sites) climbed within 16 electoral votes of a second term Wednesday and held a solid lead in the popular vote over Democratic rival John Kerry (news - web sites) who insisted the race framed by war, terror and joblessness wasn't over.


"We will fight for every vote," Kerry's running mate, Sen. John Edwards (news - web sites), told supporters in a scene eerily reminiscent of the Florida cliffhanger in 2000. Within hours, a 10-person political and legal team from Bush's headquarters was dispatched to Ohio to brace for a Florida-like fight.


After winning Nevada to inch closer to the 270 electoral votes required for a second term, Bush made plans — later revisited — to declare victory in Ohio and claim re-election was his no matter what the Kerry camp does. "We will not base our decision on a concession," said Bush adviser Dan Bartlett.


Several other top aides said Bush would go before supporters in the wee hours Wednesday to claim victory, but they pulled back on that prediction when the Republican's electoral total stalled at 254.

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