Jim Schellinger speaks to his supporters in Indianapolis on Tuesday, May 6, 2008. (CBS photo)
Story Created:
May 7, 2008 at 4:09 PM EST
Story Updated:
May 7, 2008 at 5:24 PM EST
FORT WAYNE — The votes are all counted, and it now appears there is clear winner in the Democratic primary for governor. Jill Long Thompson says she's the victor, and late Wednesday afternoon, Jim Schellinger conceded.
By late Wednesday, Schellinger had not spoken with the media about his decision. His campaign manager would only tell the Associated Press that Schellinger chose to concede after watching the gap widen between the two candidates to more than 7,000 votes.
But earlier in the day, the tone was much different, as neither candidate would back down.
As the polls closed Tuesday night, it looked like the party might start early at Jill Long Thompson's campaign rally in Fort Wayne. Early returns showed the former Congresswoman who now lives in Argos up by more than 10 points.
But as the clock continued to tick, the nail biting began.
"[It's] very nerve racking! I'm very nervous about this," said Vida Creed, of Plymouth, who attended the rally to support Long Thompson.
By 9 p.m., the race had pulled into a dead heat, with both candidates receiving 50 percent of the vote, with up to 85 percent of precincts across the state reporting.
An hour later, South Bend native Schellinger had grabbed a big lead of nearly 10,000 votes. The numbers stayed in his favor until nearly all the precincts were counted shortly before 1:30 a.m.
At that point, Long Thompson had garnered 50.2 percent of the vote. Schellinger had 49.8 percent of the vote.
Only about 6,000 of the 1.2 million votes cast separated the two.
Late Wednesday morning, she declared victory.
"I'm clearly the winner," she told reporters in Ft. Wayne. "And I am looking forward to the race against Mitch Daniels here in the fall. And let me just say all the major news organizations have declared me the winner."
But Schellinger wasn't convinced.
In a statement released Wednesday morning, his campaign manager Tim Jeffers called the race " still too close to call."
There are many precincts still uncounted," he said, "and provisional ballots to count and sort through. A re-canvass process
[will] likely show shifts in county vote totals."
However, by late Wednesday afternoon, the campaign had stopped short of calling for a re-count. According to spokeswoman Jennifer Wagner, Schellinger was on a 'fact-finding' mission. In the end, what he found, was enough reason to concede the race.
Long Thompson is now celebrating her win, including strong showings in a number of counties in our area. She recorded victories of at least 10 points in Elkhart, Fulton, Kosciusko, and Pulaski counties. She also won by 4 points in Starke County. But her most convincing win was a 20 point victory in her home county of Marshall.
Schellinger's only big win in the South Bend area was his home county of St. Joseph, which he won by a 9 point margin.
"We knew what I needed to get in each county and I was very optimistic that it was going to go in my favor," said Long Thompson. "That's now to say I wasn't tense, but I felt very confident that it would probably go in my favor."
Long Thompson will now take on Mitch Daniels in the fall. He told reporters in Indianapolis Wednesday that he "doesn't care" who won the nomination, because he's focused on his own campaign.
Watch WSBT News at 11 to hear from Gov. Daniels. Reporter Troy Kehoe will also take a closer look at the match-up between Long Thompson and Daniels, and who might have an early advantage.
For more election headlines and voter resources, go to WSBT.com's Campaign ‘08 section.
