Kerry Concedes; Some Democrats Upset At Him For Not Pushing Legal Fight
Sen. Kerry conceded the election yesterday after becoming convinced that he could not win the state of Ohio. In a statement widely praised as "gracious," the Democratic nominee called for national unity after the bitter campaign. Said Kerry, "America is in need of unity, and longing for a larger measure of compassion. I hope President Bush will advance those values in the coming years. I pledge to do my part, to try to bridge the partisan divide. I know this is a difficult time for my supporters. But I ask them, all of you, to join me in doing that."
Kerry's decision not to launch a legal challenge for Ohio was not universally praised. The New York Times reports this morning that "several Democrats questioned Mr. Kerry's decision to concede without pressing for a full count of the votes in Ohio, warning that it would discourage first-time voters, particularly members of minorities, in future elections." CNN adds, "We're told that the attorneys for the Kerry team wanted to challenge this, wanted to get into court this morning in Ohio, and Senator Kerry said, no, he didn't want to put the country through that. And a few minutes after that, he picked up the phone and called President Bush."
Edwards Opposed Concession As "Opening Shot" Of 2008 Nomination Contest.
In its story about Kerry's decision to concede, the New York Times reports, "Tellingly, associates of Mr. Edwards made a point of informing reporters that Mr. Edwards had urged Mr. Kerry not to give up in Ohio so soon, in what some Democrats described as probably the opening shot of – yes – the 2008 campaign. Mr. Edwards is likely to seek his party's nomination and thus is eager not to do anything in the final days of this campaign that could haunt him in 2008. 'He conveyed his point of view and Kerry made his own decision,' one Edwards adviser said, adding that Mr. Edwards 'was disappointed but made peace with the result.'"
Initial Counting Of Provisional Ballots Increased Bush's Lead In Ohio.
According to USA Today, "Kerry woke up at 7 a.m. Wednesday after five hours of sleep. By 10 a.m., Kerry's advisers — some of whom hadn't slept — had checked with election officials in several Ohio counties and learned the true dimensions of their problem. There were 155,337 provisional ballots statewide. Kerry would have to pick up a vote from almost every one of them to make up a 136,000-vote deficit." USA Today adds, "Counting began in some Republican counties Wednesday – and increased Bush's lead. Provisional ballots weren't concentrated in Democratic counties such as Cleveland's Cuyahoga County."
