Bush succeeds where his father couldn’t — Nevada

Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2000 | 3:15 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Texas Gov. George W. Bush did something his father couldn't do eight years ago -- win Nevada's electoral votes, and that put him over the top in his race for president.

"These are the four votes that will certify George Bush as our next president," Secretary of State Dean Heller said after the four longtime Republicans cast their ballots for Bush and Vice President-elect Dick Cheney.

Bush's father, former President Bush, lost Nevada to Bill Clinton during his re-election bid in 1992. But the Texas governor this year carried the state 49.48 percent to 45.95 percent over Vice President Al Gore.

Nevada was the last state in the nation to cast its electoral votes for Bush. This gave him 271 electoral votes, with 270 needed for the victory. Alaska would have been the final state to vote for Bush but it moved its ceremony up several hours.

California cast its votes at the same time as Nevada, and Hawaii was several hours later. But their states voted for Gore.

The four electoral votes were cast in the old Nevada Supreme Court chambers in the state capitol before an overflow crowd of close to 100 people. As soon as they were tallied, a man in the audience yelled out, "Yes," followed by loud applause.

Heller said some people view this as merely "traditional," but he added it is "necessary and legal" to elect one of the two candidates.

The Republican electors who cast the votes were National GOP Committeeman Tom Wiesner and former Assemblywoman Jane Ham, both of Las Vegas, and state Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio and Trudy Hushbeck, both of Reno. Wiesner replaced Peggy Wutke of Las Vegas and Hushbeck voted in place of Edwina Prior, also of Reno.

Wiesner is a member of the board of regents of the University and Community College System of Nevada. Hushbeck is the Northern Nevada director of the Republican Party. Ham served three terms in the Assembly from 1980 to 1986. Raggio has served in the state Senate since 1972.

The elder Bush won Nevada's electoral vote in 1988, defeating Democrat Michael Dukakis.