Good times form the backdrop for the election. But Bush would devote far more of the surplus than Gore to cutting taxes. A tax cut used to be a surefire campaign promise.
Polls also point to an unusually close election.
In the race for control of Congress, any outcome is possible. All 435 House seats will be filled. Before the election, Republicans had narrow control with 222 seats. Democrats held 210 with two held by independents and one vacant. Whichever party holds 218 seats after the election gets to install the speaker, run the committees and fix the agenda.