O'Brien concedes defeat, offers to help Romney
Deirdre Fulton
Issue date: 11/6/02 Section: News
- Page 1 of 2 next >
|
And sure enough, at 10:45, to the strains of “Ain’t No Stopping Us Now,” the Democratic candidate walked on stage, stopped campaigning and conceded the gubernatorial race to Republican Mitt Romney.
“I just spoke with Mitt Romney and congratulated him on a hard-fought victory,” O’Brien said as she stood at the podium flanked by a crowd that included her running-mate Chris Gabrieli, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and Sen. John Kerry, who had given his victory speech an hour before.
“I also offered him my support and help as he tackles the challenge that lies ahead,” she added, offering an amicable sentiment that was a noticeable change from the negative campaigning of recent weeks. O’Brien called on the new administration to “put partisanship aside and work closely with the legislature in these tough budgetary times to protect Massachusetts families.”
In her speech, O’Brien highlighted what have been the major issues of her campaign, like economic improvement, prescription drug benefits for seniors and education. Opening her arms to the crowd that continued cheering despite its dashed hopes, she thanked the public for its support and cited the hard work of several elected officials as integral to her campaign.
“This stage isn’t big enough to hold all of those who have earned a spot up here ... Thank you for standing by me. Thank you for continuing the fight for working families in Massachusetts,” she said.
Though he said it was early to speculate, O’Brien press secretary Adrian Durbin said independents and undecided voters swinging strongly in Romney’s favor may have adversely affected the outcome of the race. He rejected the theory that Green Party candidate Jill Stein, who came out with approximately 3 percent of the vote, pulled support away from O’Brien.
Certain regions “didn’t get the margins we needed,” Durbin explained, mentioning examples such as certain areas in the South Shore and Hamden County in the western part of the state.
