You're not going to bust up a comforting myth with facts, Ed.
In any election that the Left ends up on the wrong end of, the rationale is ALWAYS that there is Something Rotten in Denmark. Maybe the voters were stupid, or uneducated, or brainwashed. Maybe the voting system is suspect. Maybe the Democrat had less money to spend. The list of excuses goes on, and on.
Any reason except one:
A liberal cannot conceive, literally, that anyone could oppose them on grounds of principle. There just has to be some mistake or dirty dealing involved.
Wait for the 2004 election. You're going to see rationalizing like the world has never seen before. The Left has already mentally suppressed the 2002 Florida results.