PITTSBURGH - Incumbent Republican Sen. Rick Santorum was gracious in conceding to Pennsylvania Treasurer Bob Casey Jr. last night, despite their bitterly fought contest.
"I wish him the very best," Santorum said in his concession speech. "His is a fine man. He'll do a fine job for the state of Pennsylvania."
Santorum, who is currently No. 3 in the Senate Republican leadership, was running for his third term.
But the Santorum who announced defeat moments before 10 p.m. last night was markedly different from the man who arrived at the Omni William Penn Hotel in uptown Pittsburgh at 7:45 p.m.
While his three youngest children romped about on a couch in the front lobby, a serene Santorum - casually dressed in black slacks and a bright blue fleece pullover - shook hands with supporters before guiding his family upstairs to the Grand Ballroom.
"I've had a great day," he said, adding that he had been kept busy with 21 radio interviews.
Santorum had lagged steadily behind Casey in the polls, especially in the past few weeks.
And though he was willing to concede the race, the general counsel of the Pennsylvania GOP is alleging voter fraud in several counties in the state. The secretary of state for Pennsylvania will decide whether to go forward with an investigation, according to Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett.
The atmosphere at the Santorum campaign headquarters remained tense throughout the night.
Pittsburgh resident and politics aficionado Michael Jackson remarked upon the difference between this election night and those of previous years.
"The people were different," Jackson said. "The campaign supporters [used to] come to headquarters. That was the focal point. Now it's the TV."
