Yeakel falls in tight Senate race

and CHARLES ORNSTEIN At the start of the evening last night in the ballroom of the Philadelphia Hilton, Democratic Pennsylvania Senate candidate Lynn Yeakel's headquarters pulsed to the tunes of "Celebration,""Roll With It," and "Higher and Higher." Four hours later, the balloons were sinking to the floor and all that could be heard were the sounds of silence. With 98 percent of precincts reporting, Republican senatorial incumbent Arlen Specter defeated Yeakel with 51 percent of the vote to Yeakel's 49 percent. And while these numbers reflect the close nature of the race, they only touch upon the emotional roller-coaster that supporters at Yeakel's headquarters rode throughout the evening. "[Specter's] part of the Old Guard," a euphoric Margaret Byrun, a Yeakel supporter, said early in the evening. "Let him go on -- she'll do well in our Senate." "I've prayed about this election, and now everything's just falling into place," Byrun said. Early in the night, campaign workers were also elated, popping open Heineken after Heineken, as the election returns showed Yeakel with a commanding lead of 52-48 percent. "We're fucking excited," campaign staff member Paul Kirk said with a huge smile as returns showed Yeakel pulling ahead of Specter. "I can't believe it." And supporters cheered when Democrats and women won races across the city, state and country, waiting, while the Pennsylvania race remained "too close to call." Senator Harris Wofford (D-Pa.) projected in the midst of the evening that "we'll give a one-two punch for Pennsylvania and make a very good team." Wofford tempered his enthusiasm, however, saying that "it might be a long night" as the race fell into a 50-50 deadlock. As the race continued neck-and-neck, supporters kept on dancing, singing and hoping that the oft-cited "coattail effect" would take hold in Pennsylvania. But as the clock ticked on, the results looked bleak for Yeakel, and the enthusiasm perceptibly died down. As Yeakel supporters watched the Democratic star rise with President Bush's and Independent candidate Ross Perot's conceding victory to Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton, they saw Yeakel's slow but steady drop. Throughout the crowd, there were hugs and tears, with one woman saying to another, "Don't worry, there's still 18 percent." At midnight, the roller-coaster came to a complete stop. Yeakel conceded to Specter in a speech which left many supporters in tears, yelling "Not yet, Lynn!" from the floor to the podium, and singing "Give me that good time feeling . . . it was good for Ross and George and it's good enough for me." Yeakel, with a bright smile, thanked the 1.9 million voters who "believed . . . and voted for Courage for a Change." "While we did not succeed in capturing the Senate seat, we did succeed in capturing the hearts of thousands of people across Pennsylvania and across the nation looking for new leadership," Yeakel said to cheers from the audience. Yeakel voiced optimism for the future of women in government. "The journey has begun for women . . . finally, we will assume our rightful places in the halls of power in this nation," Yeakel said to her supporters, which she likened to "an extended family." "The fight for what is just and right in this society is only just begun," Yeakel concluded. As she left the podium, Yeakel said that "young women have a key to the future", and that today's young women should "get involved, take a step forward and take a leadership role in our society." And one teary-eyed supporter echoed Yeakel's optimism, saying that "hope is still alive in America." "She gave us hope. She told women that they can take back their life and make choices. If they fail at their first try, try again," said Elaine Jones from North Philadelphia.

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