Acknowledging that he will not be able to overcome Kshama Sawant’s incredible and sustained late momentum, incumbent Seattle City Councilmember Richard Conlin conceded defeat this evening in a news conference at Seattle City Hall, admitting he was “surprised and disappointed.” He was flanked by Council colleagues and supporters, including former mayoral hopeful Tim Burgess.
He also released a statement with prepared remarks to news outlets.
“Unfortunately, it appears that my opponent has received a greater number of votes,” he said, in a nod to Sawant’s daily gains. “I hope that she will serve the people of Seattle effectively during her time in office.”
Sawant’s campaign, however, isn’t taking victory for granted.
“Even if Conlin concedes, votes left could trigger recount, cost the campaign $,” the campaign tweeted earlier today. “Help prevent that by volunteering & donating.”
A recount seems unlikely at this point given that Sawant’s lead continues to widen. Yesterday, it was 1,148 votes; today, it jumped to 1,640. The trend is clear and has been remarkably consistent. Sawant’s share of the vote has gone up and down with each batch, but it’s repeatedly been over fifty percent, day after day. That’s how she was able to turn what was a called race for Conlin into a late victory.
Congratulations to her and her supporters.
In other news:
- Steve Kasner made up a little ground today against Kevin Wallace in Bellevue, narrowing Wallace’s lead to one hundred and eighty-five votes after Wallace had expanded it to two hundred and one.
- SeaTac Proposition 1 (the Good Jobs initiatve) is still passing, but the yes vote is down to forty-nine after rising to fifty-three yesterday. There are only a few hundred votes left to count in SeaTac and it looks like Proposition 1 will pass. In anticipation of that outcome, opponents (including Alaska Airlines) have already gone to court to try and have it invalidated.
- An estimated 23,851 ballots now remain to be processed statewide according to the Secretary of State. 20,782 of those are in King County. The other thirty-eight counties are pretty much done counting ballots.
Counties have until November 26th to finish counting ballots. By the 26th, election results must be certified and transmitted to the Secretary of State.
Friday, November 15th, 2013
Friday elections update: Richard Conlin concedes to Kshama Sawant in Seattle; SeaTac Proposition 1 still ahead
Acknowledging that he will not be able to overcome Kshama Sawant’s incredible and sustained late momentum, incumbent Seattle City Councilmember Richard Conlin conceded defeat this evening in a news conference at Seattle City Hall, admitting he was “surprised and disappointed.” He was flanked by Council colleagues and supporters, including former mayoral hopeful Tim Burgess.
He also released a statement with prepared remarks to news outlets.
“Unfortunately, it appears that my opponent has received a greater number of votes,” he said, in a nod to Sawant’s daily gains. “I hope that she will serve the people of Seattle effectively during her time in office.”
Sawant’s campaign, however, isn’t taking victory for granted.
“Even if Conlin concedes, votes left could trigger recount, cost the campaign $,” the campaign tweeted earlier today. “Help prevent that by volunteering & donating.”
A recount seems unlikely at this point given that Sawant’s lead continues to widen. Yesterday, it was 1,148 votes; today, it jumped to 1,640. The trend is clear and has been remarkably consistent. Sawant’s share of the vote has gone up and down with each batch, but it’s repeatedly been over fifty percent, day after day. That’s how she was able to turn what was a called race for Conlin into a late victory.
Congratulations to her and her supporters.
In other news:
Counties have until November 26th to finish counting ballots. By the 26th, election results must be certified and transmitted to the Secretary of State.
# Written by Andrew Villeneuve :: 5:40 PM
Categories: Breaking News, Elections
Tags: WA-Ballot, WA-Cities
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