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Senator John F. Kerry mixes with supporters outside of Faneuil Hall where he gave his concession speech yesterday.
BOSTON—John F. Kerry conceded the presidential election here yesterday afternoon in a stinging defeat for the Democratic senator and his party.
Speaking inside Faneuil Hall, where the nation’s founders once convened to establish the American democracy, Kerry told his campaign staff that “we cannot win this election” and offered his congratulations to the incumbent victor, President Bush.
“In America, it is vital that every vote count and that every vote be counted,” Kerry said, alluding to ballots still waiting to be tallied in several states. “But the outcome should be decided by voters, not a protracted legal process. I would not give up this fight if there was a chance that we would prevail.”
Boston residents who just a week ago built an unlikely World Series championship out of a one-word rallying cry—“believe”—found it hard to believe yesterday that their senator had failed to claim the White House from President Bush.
The city, which supported Kerry by an overwhelming 56-point margin, lay listless yesterday after a long evening of bitterly disappointing election results. In the streets of Boston and Cambridge, where the Democratic candidate enjoyed even greater support, residents all appeared to wear the same dejected face, as though the Hub were in collective mourning for the Kerry campaign.
After news reports indicated the senator would concede the race in an address at Faneuil Hall, thousands of Kerry supporters gathered outside the building to show their support—and perhaps search for answers—at the culmination of an exceptionally long and bitter election season.
“This is one of the worst days of my life,” said one onlooker to no one in particular. And a dozen protestors waving hastily constructed placards chanted, “Count every vote, every vote counts.”
But the bulk of the crowd, resigned to the senator’s defeat, stood stunned in silence for over an hour as they awaited the arrival of Kerry and his running mate, Sen. John Edwards, D.-N.C.
A snapping breeze, which plunged windchill temperatures into the 30s, seemed to mark the unofficial beginning of what would surely be a long winter in blue states like Massachusetts.
“We believe in you,” Edwards told supporters before Kerry’s speech yesterday. “We didn’t stop fighting for you when this campaign began, and we won’t stop fighting for you when this campaign ends.”
Still, with Edwards’ Senate seat now in the hands of Richard Burr, a Republican, and the Democratic leader, Sen. Tom Daschle, out of a job, liberals had little to cheer for yesterday.
As Kerry emerged from Faneuil Hall, the crowd outside joined in an intense, yet somber applause for their senator. There was little jubilation, save for a handful of Bush supporters who cheered for the President.
Kerry and his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, greeted supporters alongside police sawhorses which had been erected outside the building.
“What do we do now, Senator?” asked one woman.
“Keep fighting,” Kerry replied.
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