A cold rain began falling in the Boston area shortly after midnight as election returns continued to turn against Kerry in Florida and Ohio.
With the Boston Red Sox’s triumphant comeback fresh in their minds, Kerry supporters could hold on to the slim hope of a turnaround. But as the night continued to bode poorly for Kerry, with a loss in Florida and poor returns in Ohio, Democrats began to quietly concede defeat.
“If things turn out like they look like they’ll turn out,” said Andy J. Frank ’05, president of the Harvard College Democrats, “we’re just very disappointed.”
Results in New Mexico and Iowa were still unclear early this morning, and the Kerry campaign had not said whether it would request a recount of votes in Ohio.
The Bush campaign had yet to claim victory at 4:30 a.m. as the country braced for what could the beginning of a protracted legal battle akin to the 2000 election, when the outcome remained in doubt for more than a month.
—Staff writer Zachary M. Seward can be reached at seward@fas.harvard.edu.