If Bush wins 1 million more votes nationally (which means the Dem loses 1 million more votes),
Only about 46% of eligible voters go to the polls. Bush could get millions of votes without the Dem losing even one (in fact, they could both gain a lot)
think of the incredible swing of states such as NM (335 total votes difference), Iowa (about 5,000), Wisconsin (about 11,000), Oregon, and even Pennsylvania and Michigan.
At least some of those states could have been contested in 2000. NM switched to Gore after an election official found a "misplaced" box of ballots. PA went for Gore mostly because of the big cities, where turnout was 125% in some districts. And I forget whether it was Wisconsin or Michigan where students were told how to vote both at home and at school.
The GOP finally got to work on poll watching operations in 2002. The effort wasn't perfect, but GOPers were elected in some places they wouldn't have been otherwise.
I think we're going to see some previously solidly Dem states in the GOP column.