Why did Al Gore withdraw his election-night concession to George W. Bush?

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U.S. presidential election of 2000 — Bush v. Gore A Florida judge examining a challenged vote at an operations center in Plantation, Florida, during a recount of the state's U.S. presidential election ballots, 2000.

On election night in 2000, Al Gore initially conceded the race to George W. Bush after television networks projected Bush as the winner in Florida, which would have secured him the presidency.123

However, Gore withdrew his concession in the early hours of the following morning because it became apparent that the Florida race was significantly closer than his staff had originally believed. As additional election returns were processed, the margin between the two candidates narrowed to fewer than 600 votes, with the uncounted ballots coming primarily from Democratic-leaning counties. This shift prompted Gore to retract his concession and pursue a manual recount of the ballots.231