PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa. -- In a tighter than expected senatorial race, Democratic Congressman Joe Hoeffel lost his bid to unseat the longtime Republican incumbent Arlen Specter.
Hoeffel appeared before his supporters a little after 11:30 p.m. at the Democratic headquarters in Montgomery County last night to announce that he had conceded the senatorial race to Specter.
"Tonight, the people of Pennsylvania have made a decision," Hoeffel said. "And they have clearly chosen seniority over change, and while I disagree with their choice, I certainly respect their judgment."
Numerous polls leading up to the election showed Hoeffel trailing Specter by significant double-digit margins. But with 98 percent of precincts reporting, Hoeffel was down only 10 percent, with 42 percent of the vote compared to Specter's 52 percent.
"We did better than the polls indicated, which I always felt that we would," Hoeffel said, adding, "I think that John Kerry's success [in Pennsylvania] helped me, absolutely. We ran on similar issues, both standing for change."
Although Hoeffel and his supporters were deeply disappointed by the results, the mood during most of the evening was enthusiastic and upbeat. The crowd erupted when, a little before 11 p.m., CNN called Pennsylvania for Kerry.
Throughout the early evening, the several hundred Hoeffel supporters were hopeful, as early results favored him by more than 12 percent.
But that lead gradually evaporated, and so did the enthusiasm. As the results of the more conservative counties were tallied and announced, Hoeffel lost his initial lead and never recovered it.
Hoeffel said that, prior to making his concession speech, he called Specter to congratulate him on a "hard-fought campaign."
Specter was "extraordinarily gracious with me," he added.
"We came up a little bit short, but I am telling you this --- it was a long time coming, and it might take a little longer, but change is going to come," Hoeffel said.
Although Hoeffel did not indicate his future plans, many foresee him challenging Sen. Rick Santorum for the other Senate seat in Pennsylvania in two years.
Before the results were announced, communication adviser to the Hoeffel campaign David Stone said that the two deciding factors would be whether Democrats in the state voted for the entire Democratic ticket, and whether Specter was able to carry the highly conservative areas of the state.
As results came in, it became clear that a number of voters split their ticket -- voting Democrat for president and Republican for senator. Furthermore, the conservative Constitution Party senatorial candidate Jim Clymer was not able to take away enough votes from Specter to benefit Hoeffel.
"I thought that Jim Clymer would do better," Hoeffel said.
Stone said that the strategy of the campaign had "really been pretty straightforward, and that is: If you like what the Bush-Cheney administration has been doing in Pennsylvania, then Arlen Specter ought to be your choice, because he has campaigned on his nine-out-of-10 vote support for George Bush and his agenda."
"Joe Hoeffel is saying we need to have a change," Stone said.
Even in defeat, Hoeffel stuck to a positive tone.
"I certainly have no regrets about it, and I felt I did what I set out to do."
