Rather wasn't the first to call Florida for Gore early, and he wasn't alone in doing so. That wasn't a lie, it was a bad decision based on a desire to be "first". The call was based on data from a company called Voter News Service that did what was supposed to be state of the art exit polling. Turned out, that exit polling was flawed.

The early call for Gore probably *helped* Bush, rather than hurt him because Gore voters who had not yet been to the polls got the impression their vote wouldn't matter in the outcome. As far as the media and public perception is concerned, Gore dug his own grave when he blundered by calling Bush to concede the election in the wee hours, even though Florida was still extremely close and a recount was required.