Election Night in Americana: 1996

[Oldiesfreak1854]

"Good evening, and welcome to our special Election Night 1996 coverage here on ABC.  I'm Peter Jennings, and throughout the night, we'll be bringing you live results from all the major elections across America, from the presidential election to the battle for the House and Senate, not to mention governors' races and major ballot proposals.  Of course, the most-watched contest of this year has been the presidential campaign.  President Jefferson Dent, running for reelection, managed to beat back a challenge from his own party to win the Democratic nomination.  The Republicans, on the other hand, had a great contest of their own, eventually nominating Michigan governor Christian Mattingly.  It's been a wild and fun ride, but it all comes down to this night.  Will President Dent win another four years in the White House, or will Governor Mattingly take the presidency for himself?  Stay tuned and find out.

Throughout the night, we'll be bringing you up-to-the minute returns, as well as analysis and exit poll results.  Diane Sawyer will be reporting on the exit polls, and with me for commentary will be Sam Donaldson, Barbara Walters, and David Brinkley.  We will also be bringing you live guests from both campaigns as the results come in.  It is just past 6PM on the East coast, and polls have just closed in two states: Indiana and Kentucky.  As of this time, we project that both states are too close to call.  Which bring us to our ABC News map of the presidential election.  As we call states throughout the night, we will color them accordingly for each candidate; red for President Dent, and blue for Governor Mattingly.

Dent: 0
Mattingly: 0

But first and foremost, let's talk to the man who has outlived and covered more elections than any of us, David Brinkley.  David?



"Thank you Peter.  This presidential campaign has been one of the most interesting and exciting campaigns to watch in many years.  President Jefferson Dent, a former Senator and Governor from Alabama, who, four years ago, knocked off President George Bush in another hotly contested race, looks to win a second term in the Oval Office tonight.  On the other hand, Chris Mattingly, the Republican governor of the state of Michigan, seeks to defeat an incumbent president himself.  Throughout this campagn, President Dent's job approval has been relatively low; polls have consistently shown a large percentage of Americans believeing that he does not deserve reelection.  Governor Mattingly has tried to take advantage of this and convince voters that it's time for a change.  The president, on the other hand, has attacked Mattingly as a right-wing extremist and promised voters to build a bridge to the 21st century.  Who will Americans choose?  That is the question that will finally be answered tonight."

"Thank you, David.  We'll be coming back to you later in the evening as we get more results."

[Oldiesfreak1854]

Peter Jennings: We also have two down-ticket races to report on.  In the Indiana governors' race, Democrat Frank O'Bannon, the Lieutenant Governor, is facing Indianapolis mayor Stephen Goldsmith, the Republican nominee.  At this time, ABC News projects that race to be too close to call.  In the state of Kentucky, Republican Senator Mitch McConnell is running for reelection against Democrat Steve Beshear.  That race is also too close to call at this time.  So, we have no calls at this hour, but in the meantime, we turn to Diane Sawyer for exit poll results.  This may help give us an indicator of what Americans were thinking today when they went to vote.  Diane?



Diane Sawyer: Thank you, Peter.  As we look at our ABC News national exit polls, the picture is still unclear, but there are some important signs that may point to what we can expect later tonight.  First, the racial division of this electorate is fairly apparent.  In our national exit poll, 54 percent of white voters supported Governor Mattingly.  On the other hand, you have African-Americans, which are typically a Democratic constituency.  No surprises here; nearly 9 out of 10 African-American voters voted for the president.  Perhaps the most significant number tonight is union members.  As you may recall, Governor Mattingly is a former union member and leader.  He was thought to have strong appeal to blue collar voters and Reagan Democrats.  It appears that he is not having such luck; President Dent is winning the union vote by over 20 points.  Dent also enjoys a similar margin among suburban women, another heavily coveted voting bloc.  On the other hand, gun owners appear to be strongly influenced by Mattingly's populist rhetoric.  Nearly 6 out of 10 gun owners we surveyed favored him over Dent.  We'll have more numbers to report throughout the night, but for now, these numbers are mostly good signs for the president.

David Brinkley: Peter, if you don't mind, I'd like to comment on that union number.
Peter Jennings: Go ahead.
David Brinkley: Throughout his career, Jefferson Dent has always been seen as a more moderate Democrat and has always had a more populist flair.  Governor Mattingly might normally make inroads with union labor, but it appears that most of them are satisfied with the president and feel no need to vote for Mattingly.  These two candidates could not be more similar in their campaign styles, and when in doubt, the blue collar voters seem to be going for the incumbent.
Peter Jennings:  Thank you, David.  Interesting commentary.

Indiana - President (1% in)
Mattingly (R)- 60%
Dent (D)- 38%
Others- 2%

Kentucky - President (1% in)
Dent (D)- 56%
Mattingly (R)- 42%
Others- 2%

Indiana - Governor (1% in)
Goldsmith (R)- 57%
O'Bannon (D)- 42%
Others- 1%

Kentucky - Senate (1% in)
McConnell (R)- 52%
Beshear (D)- 48%
Others- 0%

[Oldiesfreak1854]

6:30 PM EST

Peter Jennings: It is now 6:30 here in New York, and we still have no calls to make as of this moment.  But, while we're at it, let's go and talk to the campaigns about their feelings going into tonight.  We'll start with Governor Mattingly's campaign.  Chris Wallace is at Mattingly headquarters at the Fox Theatre in Detroit.  Chris, what's going on there?

Chris Wallace: Well, Peter, the atmosphere in this room right now is electric, as would be expected.  Chris Mattingly's team went into today expecting to win, but as they say, it ain't over 'till it's over.  With me right now is Governor Mattingly's chief campaign advisor, Dick Hudson.  Dick, how do you feel?

Dick Hudson: Thanks, Chris.  I'm very excited for tonight.  We've worked a long time to reach this moment, and it's finally here.  Now there obviously aren't enough returns to mean much at this point, but we're encouraged to have an early lead in Indiana, a state which we expected to carry pretty easily.  We're behind in the early numbers out of Kentucky, but we're confident in our ability to take that state as well.  It'll be exciting to watch, and I'm confident that when all is said and done, Chris Mattingly will be the next President of the United States.

Chris Wallace: Thanks, Dick.  So, as you can see, Peter, they're pretty optimistic.  Whether that optimism is realistic and can help lead them to victory is different story, though, and one I'm sure we'll watch unfold within the next few hours.

Peter Jennings: Thank you, Chris.  Meanwhile, we have Charlie Gibson at Dent headquarters in Washington.  Charlie, what's up over there?

Charlie Gibson: Peter, the president isn't here right now; he's at the White House watching the returns with his wife and staff.  President Dent's staff told us earlier today that he would show up here later in the night, once we're more certain of the outcome tonight.  His campaign has been rather coy with us today, but they told us that they expect to win.

Peter Jennings: Thanks, Charlie.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

This is really good Leep it up!

[Oldiesfreak1854]

This is really good Leep it up!

Thanks!  I was waiting for someone to comment.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

7:00 PM EST

Peter Jennings: It is now seven o'clock at our ABC News studio in New York, and we have another series of poll closings, along with our first projection of the night.  ABC News projects that President Dent is the winner in the state of Vermont.  If you remember, this is the home state of Senator Dave MacKenzie, a nemesis of Chris Mattingly who challenged him for the Republican nomination earlier this year.  MacKenzie gave his support to Governor Mattingly after the convention, but it appears that it will not be enough for a win.  Jefferson Dent--the winner of Vermont's three electoral votes tonight.

Vermont (Final Results)
Dent (D)- 58%
Mattingly (R)- 40%
Others- 2%

Peter Jennings: We also have more states to report on.  In the state of Florida, one of the major battlegrounds of this campaign, ABC News projects that the presidential contest is too close to call.  We also project that Georgia is too close to call at this time.  In New Hampshire, we cannot make a projection at this time; that state is too close to call as well.  The same is true in South Carolina and Virginia; it is too close to call in those states as well.  Now, let's take a look at our map.  President Dent has his first win of the night, in the state of Vermont.  That gives him three electoral votes.  Governor Mattingly has yet to carry any states, but at this point, the results are much too early to predict a final outcome.

Dent: 3
Mattingly: 0

[Oldiesfreak1854]

Approximately 7:20 PM EST

Peter Jennings: We have our second call of the night in the presidential election.  ABC News now projects that Christian Mattingly is the winner in the state of Indiana.  This is no surprise; it was always expected to for Governor Mattingly, but based on the current returns, we can now call that state.  This not only puts him on the board, but it puts him in the lead for the electoral college.  Governor Mattingly currently leads in the national popular vote as well, but the electoral college vote is what really determines the president, based on the popular vote in each individual state.  So now President Dent and Governor Mattingly both have carried one state.  The president has Vermont, with three electoral votes, and Mr. Mattingly has Indiana, with twelve.

Indiana (Final Results)
Mattingly (R)- 56%
Dent (D)- 42%
Others- 2%

Mattingly: 12
Dent: 3

[Oldiesfreak1854]

Don't worry, I'll have an update soon.  I've been kind of busy lately, so this has kind of had to go on the back burner.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

Peter Jennings: We have a number of elections for the Senate and governors to report on as well, from the states whose polls closed at seven o'clock.  We made these projections when the polls closed, but we haven't reported on them until now.  In the state of Georgia, Democrat Senator Sam Nunn is retiring, and in the race to replace him, Democrat Max Cleland is facing Republican Guy Millner.  That race is too close to call at this time.

Georgia Senate (2% in)
Millner (R)- 55%
Cleland (D)- 44%
Others- 1%

Peter Jennings: In the state of New Hampshire, we have two critical races to report on.  In the race for governor, Democrat Jeanne Shaheen is running against Republican Ovide Lamontagne.  ABC News projects that this race is also too close to call.  This is an open race, and keep in mind that Republicans have controlled the governor's office in New Hampshire for the past fourteen years.  If the Democrats win this race, it may be an indicator of what to expect in the presidential contest in this state.

New Hampshire Governor (2% in)
Shaheen (D)- 52%
Lamontagne (R)- 45%
Others- 3%

Peter Jennings: Staying in New Hampshire, we also have one of the most hotly contested Senate races in the country this year.  Republican incumbent Bob Smith is running for reelection against Democratic Congressman Dick Swett.  ABC News cannot project a winner at this time; that race, once again, is too close to call.

New Hampshire Senate (2% in)
Smith (R)- 51%
Swett (D)- 47%
Others- 2%

Peter Jennings: In the state of South Carolina, however, we can project a winner in the Senate race.  ABC News projects that Republican Senator Strom Thurmond will return to the Senate for another term, defeating Democratic challenger Elliott Close.  Senator Thurmond is in his 90s and has already served six terms in the Senate, but apparently his age was not a major issue for the voters in South Carolina.  Strom Thurmond, reelected tonight in South Carolina.

South Carolina Senate (Final Results)
Thurmond (R)- 53%
Close (D)- 44%
Others- 3%

Peter Jennings: In the state of Vermont, ABC News projects that Democratic governor Howard Dean has been reelected to another two-year term, defeating Republican challenger, John Gropper.  This was a race the Democrats were widely expected to win, and they have.

Vermont Governor (Final Results)
Dean (D)- 71%
Gropper (R)- 22%
Others- 7%

Peter Jennings: In the state of Virginia, we have another close Senate race to report on.  Republican incumbent John Warner is facing off against Democrat Mark Warner.  Since these two candidates have the same surname, this race has caused some confusion for many, and it is probably John Warner's toughest reelection fight to date.  ABC News projects that race to be too close to call.

Virginia Senate (2% in)
J. Warner (R)- 59%
M. Warner (D)- 41%

[Oldiesfreak1854]

Peter Jennings: With that, let's return to the campaign headquarters, starting with Chris Wallace at Mattingly headquarters in Detroit.  Chris, it appears that Governor Mattingly has not yet arrived; what's he doing right now?

Chris Wallace: Well Peter, after voting today, Governor Mattingly went to the Governor's Mansion in Lansing, where he was briefed on exit polls and some of the early data that may be an indicator of what to find later in the night.  His campaign staff left a few hours ago, before the first polls closed, but Governor Mattingly stayed behind.  We just got reports a few minutes ago that he has left the Governor's Mansion and is in a limousine on his way here to the Fox Theatre.  We were told he's planning on listening to the returns on the radio until he gets here and can watch them on TV.  The governor has an early lead in the electoral vote, but since only two states have been called, it doesn't really mean much at this point, and I'm sure that his campaign and his supporters here tonight are anxious to see what happens as the night goes on.

Peter Jennings: Thanks, Chris.  We now turn to Charlie Gibson in Washington, who is at the president's reelection headquarters.  Charlie, President Dent is behind in many of the early returns, and by our ABC News estimates, has already lost in the state of Indiana.  Charlie, what is the president's campaign saying about these results?

Charlie Gibson: Thanks, Peter.  President Dent's team isn't concerned about these results.  They point out that most of the early-closing states are more favorable to Republicans, and as the later states come in, they think the race will begin to swing their way.  They seem confident, and as we get more returns, we'll see whether that confidence holds.

Peter Jennings: Thank you, Chris.  So that is the picture at this hour.  Governor Mattingly has an early lead in both the popular and electoral vote.  Stay tuned, and we'll be back after a short commercial break.