Bostonians Stunned As Kerry Concedes

BOSTON—John F. Kerry conceded the presidential election here yesterday afternoon in a stinging defeat for the Democratic senator and his party.

Speaking inside Faneuil Hall, where the nation’s founders once convened to establish the American democracy, Kerry told his campaign staff that “we cannot win this election” and offered his congratulations to the incumbent victor, President Bush.

“In America, it is vital that every vote count and that every vote be counted,” Kerry said, alluding to ballots still waiting to be tallied in several states. “But the outcome should be decided by voters, not a protracted legal process. I would not give up this fight if there was a chance that we would prevail.”

Boston residents who just a week ago built an unlikely World Series championship out of a one-word rallying cry—“believe”—found it hard to believe yesterday that their senator had failed to claim the White House from President Bush.

The city, which supported Kerry by an overwhelming 56-point margin, lay listless yesterday after a long evening of bitterly disappointing election results. In the streets of Boston and Cambridge, where the Democratic candidate enjoyed even greater support, residents all appeared to wear the same dejected face, as though the Hub were in collective mourning for the Kerry campaign.

After news reports indicated the senator would concede the race in an address at Faneuil Hall, thousands of Kerry supporters gathered outside the building to show their support—and perhaps search for answers—at the culmination of an exceptionally long and bitter election season.

“This is one of the worst days of my life,” said one onlooker to no one in particular. And a dozen protestors waving hastily constructed placards chanted, “Count every vote, every vote counts.”

But the bulk of the crowd, resigned to the senator’s defeat, stood stunned in silence for over an hour as they awaited the arrival of Kerry and his running mate, Sen. John Edwards, D.-N.C.

A snapping breeze, which plunged windchill temperatures into the 30s, seemed to mark the unofficial beginning of what would surely be a long winter in blue states like Massachusetts.

“We believe in you,” Edwards told supporters before Kerry’s speech yesterday. “We didn’t stop fighting for you when this campaign began, and we won’t stop fighting for you when this campaign ends.”

Still, with Edwards’ Senate seat now in the hands of Richard Burr, a Republican, and the Democratic leader, Sen. Tom Daschle, out of a job, liberals had little to cheer for yesterday.

As Kerry emerged from Faneuil Hall, the crowd outside joined in an intense, yet somber applause for their senator. There was little jubilation, save for a handful of Bush supporters who cheered for the President.

Kerry and his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, greeted supporters alongside police sawhorses which had been erected outside the building.

“What do we do now, Senator?” asked one woman.

“Keep fighting,” Kerry replied.

Inside the hall, Kerry struck a tone of unity after a campaign in which both candidates often focused more on their opponents’ weaknesses than their own strengths.

“Now, more than ever, with our soldiers in harm’s way,” he said, “we must stand together and succeed in Iraq and win the war on terror.”

For Kerry, it was his first political loss since 1970, when voters in Massachusetts’ Third District squashed his bid for the Democratic congressional nomination. But the Bay State gave Kerry the nod for lieutenant governor in 1982, and two years later, he was elected to the U.S. Senate seat which he has held ever since.

Massachusetts—or “Taxachusetts,” in the Republican parlance—appeared to be a significant liability for Kerry, who at times struggled to defend himself against Bush campaign attacks on his liberal Senate record.

Nationwide, just 21 percent of voters identified themselves as liberal, compared with 34 percent who said they were conservative, according to exit polls conducted by the Associated Press.

—Staff writer Zachary M. Seward can be reached at seward@fas.harvard.edu.