In the contested 2000 presidential election, the ultimate deciding factor turned out to be

In the contested 2000 presidential election, the ultimate deciding factor turned out to be  the Supreme Court.

Explanation:

The 2000 US presidential election was the 54th presidential election in U.S. history. The election took place on November 7, 2000, and elected George W. Bush and DickCheney as President and Vice President respectively for the period 2001-2005. They won over Democrats Al Gore and Joe Lieberman, but the election results were only decided after several new counts and a decision in the US Supreme Court. The battle was primarily about the outcome in Florida, which would determine the entire election result. Several believed Gore was entitled to a new ballot in Florida (as closer counts showed a difference of 500 to 2000 votes), but this was established as unconstitutional by the US Supreme Court, and Bush was declared the winner of the election.

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