BOSTON, Nov 7 (Reuters) - A somber Republican crowd watched glumly on Tuesday as former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney failed in his bid to unseat President Barack Obama, despite a stubbornly high unemployment rate.
Romney struck a conciliatory note as he conceded. Thanking
his supporters, he said he had called Obama and wished the
Democrat the best.
“I so wish – I so wish that I had been able to fulfill your
hopes to lead the country in a different direction, but the
nation chose another leader,” Romney said. “And so Ann and I
join with you to earnestly pray for him and for this great
nation.”
The hard-fought election did not end without some late
confusion. Television networks declared Obama the winner in the
key state of Ohio, but by only a slim margin.
The projected victory prompted questions about whether
Romney’s campaign would challenge the result.
Romney waited almost two hours after networks called the
election before making his concession speech in the ballroom of
a Boston convention center. Staffers told waiting reporters
there had been an unspecified delay.
But as more swing states, including Virginia, Nevada and
Colorado, moved into the Democratic column, aides said Romney
would concede shortly.
He appeared on stage at about 1 a.m. and the ballroom fell
silent. A small group of men rendered an off-key version of “God
Bless America” until Romney was introduced.
PRIVATE JETS
In his remarks, Romney called on elected officials to cross
party lines and work together.
“I believe in America. I believe in the people of America,”
he said, pausing in a brief moment of emotion.
The gathering became increasingly quiet as the night
progressed.
Romney advisers said they thought their candidate had been
hurt by the divisive Republican primary fight, and acknowledged
that Obama’s campaign had done a good job defining Romney early.
“It was a close race, very disappointing obviously for those
of us who supported Governor Romney,” said Bob Grady, a Jackson,
Wyoming venture capitalist who has been a Romney adviser and
worked for President George H.W. Bush.
Grady said Republicans need to rethink their electoral
strategy and reach out to immigrant groups. But he said Obama
faces a tough challenge in pulling the country together to
address the debt and deficit.
The ballroom began emptying when the networks announced that
Obama won Ohio.
By the time Obama appeared in Chicago to make his victory
speech, the Romney event was empty except for hotel staff and
hundreds of reporters.
