Even though City Councilmember Alan Gerson called rival Margaret Chin Tuesday night to offer his congratulations – he has still not officially conceded the race. In its wrapup of the District 1 Democratic Primary, the Downtown Express explains the reasons behind the delay:
Gerson, 51, speaking to a dejected group of supporters — a few with moist eyes — did not concede, but acknowledged that Chin “appears headed toward victory,” and said “this is the end of one chapter and the beginning of another.” He said he was “holding off for a day” so his campaign could regroup, compare the returns with internal tallies and decide what to do next. He promised a “smooth transition” if he lost. He also called Chin Tuesday night after she declared victory. Gerson’s speech to roughly 50 supporters crammed into Silver Spurs restaurant in the Village, sounded much like a concession — he thanked his supporters for all of their hard work over his eight years and for working with him to spawn “a political movement.” He appeared to have accepted defeat, not mentioning anything he hoped to accomplish in a future Council term. But his campaign released a statement Wednesday saying they wanted to examine questions “about the votes reported.” Gerson said he now hopes it will be less than two weeks before he gets the information from the Board of Elections. Chin said Wednesday that when she and Gerson spoke the night before, he said he would be conceding the next day but that he was not going to publicly concede then in order to cushion the blow to his supporters. Gerson said he did “not recall” saying he was planning to make a concession, but does remember saying that he would support her if the results hold up.
