Forcing out Neighbors?
USC’s housing policies effect more than students — the surrounding community also suffers / 4
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SINCE 1912
DAILY TROJAN
Student newspaper of the University of Southern California
WEDNESDAY
November 8, 2000
Of interest...
After years of being a national joke, the Pac-10 Conference is undergoing a renaissance / 20
News Digest	2	Opinions	4
Lifestyle	7	The Buzz	7
Classifieds	18	'SComix	17
Crossword	17	Sports	20
vol. CXXXXI, no. 50
www.usc.edu/dt
At the eleventh hour, Bush wins
Media projections show Florida casting crucial vote, giving Texas governor the presidency
By JEFF SKLAR
Contributing Writer
In what may turn out to be the closest presidential election since Reconstruction, Texas Gov. George W. Bush was projected late Tuesday night to have beaten Vice President Al Gore.
According to projections by CNN at 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, Bush had 271 electoral votes to Gore’s 249, with 18 still up for grabs in Oregon and Wisconsin, the states with “too close to call" races. Not since Rutherford B. Hayes beat Samuel Tilden by one electoral vote in 1876 has an election looked to be this close.
Bush also held the slightest of leads in the popular vote. He had 49 percent of the vote, compared to 48 percent for Gore, with 81 percent of precincts nationwide reporting. This margin stands to be the closest since since Richard Nixon defeated Hubert Humphrey in 1968.
Meanwhile, Green Party candidate Ralph Nader received 3 percent of the vote nationwide. No other minor candidate, including Pat Buchanan of the Reform Party, received more than 1 percent
But the results do not revolve around the popular vote, and as the night progressed, the electoral vote became increasingly clouded until Bush was finally declared the winner based on his strong showing in Florida, which ironically, was originally projected to be a state Gore would win.
Early in the evening, every major news organization predicted that Gore would win Florida, but when Bush pulled out to a five point lead, they retracted these predictions, and the race remained in the “too close to call" category until nearly midnight.
As the night progressed, it became obvious that Florida held the key to the election. But at the same time, the race was becoming so tight that at times, less than 40,000 votes separated the two candidates.
In some ways, Bush’s performance there was disappointing, considering his brother jeb is the state’s popular governor. However, he trailed there for weeks, and only extensive last-minute campaigning and Jeb’s “get out the vote" efforts fueled his comeback.
I see President, page 15 I
Julia Kriwitt I Daily Trojan
Get out the vote. Ben Tappan, a 1997 USC alum, verifies his polling precinct number at the Sigma Alpha Epsilon house.
Republican hold in Congress expected to remain strong
Winners
California
Senator:
Dianne
Feinstein
New York Senator: Hillary Clinton
• Missouri Senator: the late Mel Carnahan
Government: Despite some Democratic Senate victories,
GOP looks to maintain majority and possibly keep House
gain seats in the Senate, if not win a small majority.
Feinstein’s win was more expected, as she defeated Republican challenger Tom Campbell, who visited USC last month. Feinstein led by 51 percent to 43 percent, with 34 percent of the precincts reporting.
Meanwhile, the majority in the House of Representatives remained too close to call as of press time. It appeared the Republicans might be unexpectedly strengthening their
By REBECCA ZAK &
BRENDAN L0Y
Contributing Writers
Republicans appeared to have maintained their majority in the U.S. Senate last night, although Democratic incumbent Dianne Feinstein retained her Senate seat in California, according to initial results and media projections.
The Republican gains defied expectations that Democrats might
majority there as well, taking several highly contested seats in Florida and Missouri. But contested races in the West made the House race a tossup.
None of the five tightly contested House seats in California, which were expected to have a significant impact on the overall national picture, were decided as of press time.
Amid the excitement of the presidential race, Senate races around the country produced some of the most dramatic results of the evening.
Fending off accusations of car-pet-bagging, Hillary Clinton emerged victorious in the highly publicized
New York Senate race, defeating Republican contender Rick Lazio and clinching a crucial seat for the Democrats. Clinton made history as the first-ever first lady to win any elected office.
Democrats also appeared to have gained a seat in Missouri, where the late Mel Carnahan, Missouri’s governor until he died in a plane crash three weeks ago, was leading Republican incumbent John Ashcroft at press time. Missouri’s new governor has said he will appoint Carnahan’s widow to the seat if Carnahan wins.
I see Government page 15 I
Losers
California Senator: Tom Campbell
New York Senator: Rick Lazio
Missouri Senator: John Ashcroft
Campus on edge during suspenseful night
Reaction: Anxious students follow results in class, at home and work Tuesday
By KATIE WERNER, SCOn MARTI NDALE & SOPHIA KAZMI
Contributing Writers
Emotions ran high Tuesday night as groups on campus watched results of one of the most suspenseful presidential races in a generation
—	and one of the closest ever.
Students in Professor Stanley Rosen's political science class gathered at Rosen’s apartment at 7 p.m. to watch the election returns on CNN.
“This is the most exciting election since 1976 when Carter beat Ford,” Rosen said. "For many Americans, watching this election is as exciting as watching a football game in the fourth quarter."
While sitting on chairs, sofas and the floor and passing popcorn and Oreo cookies, students expressed their feelings about the election results so far.
"It's basically fun to look at how the political analysts differ and vary, because in the end they are never accurate or correct," said Brian Lee, a junior majoring in international relations.
Lee made that assertion shortly after the media retracted its prediction that Gore would win Florida,
completely altering the dynamic of the race.
At the time, thanks to the placement of Florida in the “too close to call” column. Bush held a slight lead in electoral votes. Reacting to the results, those in Rosens apartment expressed their opinions both for and against Bush.
“It looks like Bush is leading, but it’s too early to tell if (he) is going to get it,’’ said Annette Campbell, a junior majoring in political science. “But I am still excited."
Kelly Shapiro was far less excited about a possible Bush victory.
“I’m very scared, and if Bush wins I’ll have to move to another country," said Shapiro, also a junior
I see RMotion page 13 I
Randall Yong I Daily Trojan
People's choice. Sophomore Douglas Stang casts his ballot on campus Tuesday.