Gore Wins in Oregon

SALEM, Ore. (AP) _ Presidential results certified by the state confirm that Al Gore defeated George W. Bush to win Oregon’s seven electoral votes.

The final tally from the Nov. 7 election show Gore defeating Bush by 6,765 votes, well beyond the 2,868-vote margin that would have triggered an automatic recount.

The state Elections Division said Gore received 720,342 votes, or 47 percent, to Bush’s 713,577 votes, or 46.5 percent. Green Party contender Ralph Nader got 77,357 votes, or 5 percent of the total.

The Bush campaign has until Dec. 12 to seek a recount.

``We are keeping our options open, but we don’t dispute the tally announced today by the secretary of state,″ said Dan Lavey, a campaign spokesman in Oregon.

Gore’s victory in the state followed an expensive and drawn-out campaign to close a large gap with Bush, who held a double-digit lead over the vice president earlier this year. Gore also lost some of his support to Nader, who attracted many environmentally-minded voters.

Gore and Bush each made four campaign trips to Oregon this year, the most the state has seen in years.

Monday was the deadline for Oregon counties to turn in their vote totals, but the certified results of other races in the state won’t be released until next week. Lynn Rosik, head of the Elections Division, said her office quickly tabulated the votes in the presidential election because of high public interest.