Oregon says Gore officially defeats Bush

PORTLAND, Ore., Nov 28 (Reuters) - Vice President Al Gore has officially defeated Republican George W. Bush in Oregon's presidential race, picking up that state's seven electoral ballots, state officials said on Tuesday.

Oregon's election office certified the vote, saying that Gore beat Bush by 6,765 votes out of about 1.53 million cast, well above the 2,800-vote threshold that would have triggered an automatic recount.

State election officials certified the results well before the required Dec. 7 deadline because of the attention focused on the race, which is undecided after more than three weeks amid recounts and legal challenges in Florida.

Both candidates need Florida's 25 electoral votes to win the White House. These were certified for Bush on Sunday, but Gore is challenging this in court, saying not all of Florida's votes were counted.

Gore ended up with 47 percent of the Oregon vote, compared to Bush's 46.5 percent. Green Party candidate Ralph Nader won about 5 percent.

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