With the election too close to call, both Lt. Governor candidate Heather Bond Somers and her supporters said that they were confident that the final count would see her as the winner of the primary.
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“It’s a close call, but I’m confident that we’ll come out on top,” Somers said from the patio of The Spot, the Groton restaurant where Somers’ supporters gathered to await the primary results. “I really think we can win this.
As of 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, Somers was holding onto a 718-vote lead over state Rep. Penny Bacchiochi with 98 percent of the precincts reporting, according to NBC. Broadcasters reported Somers with 27,148 votes, Bacchiochi with 26,430, and former U.S. Comptroller General David Walker with 25,123.
If the two candidates remain within 1,000 votes once all precincts are in, the state will conduct an automatic recount.
Although some supporters found that to be a cause for concern, Somers’ campaign manager, Jon Conradi, said that he was confident that the count would remain relatively similar.
“With the machines nowadays, the numbers are never overturned,” Conradi said. “It’s hardly going to change.”
Flocked by family, friends, supporters, and volunteers, Somers went on to say that, regardless of the turnout, she was happy to have come this far.
“I’m thrilled that someone with hardly any name recognition has been able to garner this much support,” she said. “It’s time to get southeastern Connecticut a seat the table.”
Somers also said that starting tomorrow her campaign would “put the first foot forward in defeating Gov. Dan Malloy.
“I’m tired of Hartford; tired of Washington,” Somers said to a cheering crowd. “We need someone accountable to take the stage.”
Although they admitted starting off the night unsure of what the results might yield, the majority of Somers’ supporters seemed to grow confident with time and individuals traded words of encouragement across the patio: “I like where we stand” . . . “The numbers are good.”
Not everyone shared that confidence, however, and many of Somers’ family and friends were left with their doubts.
“We won’t know until we know,” Dr. Mark Somers, Heather’s husband, said as the votes were being counted. “It’s a little overwhelming.”
While several of her supporters expressed concerns, Somers remained confident that the final vote would clinch her victory.
“Ninety-eight percent of the votes are in, and we’re ready, and we’re excited,” Somers said. “People know we’ve got the best Republican team in the running.”
Somers also said that, as of tomorrow, she would begin to take action.
“Once we know the results we’re going to sit down and have a conversation with Tom Foley,” Somers said. “The next step is figuring out how to best defeat Dan Malloy.”
