Tonight, we are one step closer to victory,'' an ebullient Bush added. It seems as if he has a Southern strategy here, doing well in Southern states. Bush said, referring to his North Dakota victory. That's wishful thinking by Al Gore. We have had huge turnout.
People are excited and it's a reaction to a positive message.
Religion was clearly the key factor in the Virginia race. Exit polls showed that Bush won a remarkable 83 percent of those who described themselves as members of the ''religious right.'' McCain, who on Monday blasted Christian Coalition founder Pat Robertson as a force for intolerance who had moved the Republican Party too far to the right, won only 10 percent of the religious right vote. But exit polls also showed that 79 percent of Virginia voters did not identify themselves as members of the religious right. Among this huge bloc, McCain won by 49 percent to 48 percent, giving him hope that he can perform better in states with fewer religious conservatives. That result showed how important it was for Bush to win this constituency.