NewsHour Election
Night Analysis

Regional Analysis
of the Election

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Other delegates react to the night's results

Bush lost in Georgia in 1992 by less than 15,000 votes, about five votes per precinct, and Republicans have wanted to make up for that down-to-the-wire loss and at least make Dole a winner in Georgia in 1996. At 10:30 pm, even though the networks were already saying that Clinton had won re-election nationally, Dole was ahead by five percent in Georgia which provides us with some satisfaction that in 1996, Georgia will go Republican. Clinton's win is not a surprise given the polling projections but it is a sad reflection about the state of our society and the public's cynicism that someone with such an obvious lack of character and ethics would be re-elected.

With Sam Nunn retiring, the Georgia Senate race has also been a fierce contest with Republicans hoping to elect Guy Millner to join the now senior Republican Senator Paul Coverdell. The polling going into the election showed as close a race as the presidential race in Georgia. Projections are that the Democrat will win, but the race was almost dead even at 10:30 pm and we are hoping that Millner will prove the exit polling wrong. If the Democrat wins, he will fit in well with Clinton since he was already fined by the state ethics board for using his state office to run for election.

I acted as a poll watcher today and turnout in Fulton County, which encompasses metropolitan Atlanta, was the heaviest I have ever seen it with long lines at the polling locations. I would expect turnout to be 60 to 70 percent, which means citizens were more interested in this election than all the pundits were saying.

Finally, it looks like the Republicans will retain Congress. This makes it clear that the Republicans' achievements over the last two years have been approved by the voters. Also, the victories of the majority of Republican freshmen targeted by labor unions means the unions took a big gamble and lost. Hopefully, they will reap what they have sowed.