Forecaster calls for a 55-percent chance of Gore presidency

A University of Iowa election forecaster predicts democrat Al Gore will soundly win the presidential race in November. Political Science Professor Michael Lewis-Beck predicts Gore will take 56-point-4 percent of the vote to claim the White House.Lewis-Beck says the forecast is based on decades of data collected on a variety of economic and political trends. He says the same method was used in the last presidential election and proved remarkably accurate.Lewis-Beck predicted Bill Clinton would win in 1996 with 54-point-8 percent of the vote. He actually won with 54-point-7 percent. Lewis-Beck says world events could turn the 2000 race around, but he’s doubtful that will happen.Lewis-Beck says the economy is holding up very well, as has Bill Clinton’s popularity. Those are two key factors that he says weigh greatly toward Al Gore’s election. He says the election forecast is strictly non-partisan, objective and scientific.