ORTLAND, Ore. - In the ''other'' undecided state of Oregon, Al Gore edged ahead of Republican George W. Bush yesterday as election workers counted the last handfuls of ballots.
While the nation focused on the dramatic recount in Florida, where the 25 electoral votes are expected to determine the next president, Oregon was unable to award its seven electoral votes, even with 96 percent of ballots counted.
Gore led Bush by 47.43 percent to 47.27 percent.
Green Party candidate Ralph Nader tallied was tallying about 5 percent.
''It is intense,'' said Lynn Rosik, Oregon director of elections. ''We've had many races this close before, but not in a presidential race with everybody looking at us like this.''
Oregon switched to all-mail balloting for the first time this year, but Rosik said the closeness of Tuesday's vote, not the speed of the counting, had delayed the verdict.
State officials do not call a winner until 100 percent of the votes are counted, leaving media outlets to project the victor.
''As soon as the media people who are watching the race feel comfortable enough, they will call it,'' Rosik said.
Across the country the votes in many states remained extremely close.
In one New Mexico county, a recount left that state's five electoral votes undecided after Gore narrowly won on election day.
But Florida's 25 electoral votes would lift either candidate past the magic number of 270 out of 538 needed to claim the White House.
None of the major networks had declared a victor in Oregon, leaving Gore with 260 electoral votes and Bush with 246.
Meanwhile, Iowa Republicans Thursday were considering whether to seek a recount of presidential ballots in the state, which Gore carried over Bush by about 3,000 votes.
Officials said they would have to wait until the state conducts a final canvass of the votes Monday.
As of Thursday Gore held the state by 3,115 votes.
Iowa Republican Party chairman Kayne Robinson said he was leaning toward advising the Bush campaign to ask for a recount ''not necessarily because of fraud or anything like that, but to catch mistakes.''
In an undecided US Senate race, Republican Slade Gorton and his Democratic challenger, Maria Cantwell, may have to wait two weeks to learn the outcome. Both said Wednesday that their chances look good. Their fate hangs on about 500,000 absentee ballots.
With 99 percent of the precincts reporting and more than 1.6 million votes counted, Gorton led by about 3,000 votes yesterday morning.
About 670,000 ballots are still out, but Gorton aides said they don't expect more than 500,000 to be returned.
Absentee ballots could be mailed as late as Election Day from anywhere in the world.
The close race for Gorton, an 18-year veteran, reflected a GOP slump in the state.
Gore carried Washington handily and the Democrats thumped a Republican challenger for governor, picked up a congressional seat and possibly solidified their control of the Legislature.
