HARRISPORT, Harvannah--The crowded race for the Conservative nomination for governor has come to a close end, with Harrisport Mayor George Garesby clinching victory narrowly.
A final count of ballots showed Garesby winning with 29.13% of the vote. Close behind him was state Attorney General Julia Giorchani with 27.55%. Trailing Giorchani were Goldchrist businessman Tom Marelo with 23.62% and H-Tel CEO Rich Tuller with 19.70%, respectively.
Vote totals showed Garesby leading with 51,290 votes to Giorchani's 48,520. Marelo pulled in 41,595 and Tuller trailed significantly with 34,691.
Garesby's victory marked the end to a long, grueling, and bitter campaign that sharply divided the state Conservative party.
At his victory party at the waterfront Port Club in downtown Harrisport, Garesby thanked his supporters for their determination, and thanked his rivals as well.
"I want to thank all of you for your hard work and support. It's been an excruciating past few months, and this could not have been done without you," he told his supporters. "I also want to thank those that voted for me. It's a privilege to have your vote and trust, and I hope your confidence in me will only grow throughout the rest of this campaign.
"But I'd also like thank my three opponents, who worked very hard and earned a credible amount of support by their own merit. This was a tough campaign, a very, very difficult one with a lot of intensity and emotions to go around, and I would like to thank them, and I think the whole state of Harvannah should thank them for the wonderful contributions each one of them has made to our state and to our party. They are all wonderful people, and we look forward to working with them in the general election campaign and beyond," Garesby said.
During the campaign, the affable mayor from Harrisport took heat from his opponents for his moderate stance on some issues. Garesby's most credible challenger, Julia Giorchani, attacked him for his civil nature, which she considered too passive. She accused Garesby of being too meek and timid in confronting and campaigning against incumbent NAT Governor Mark Andres, and alleged Garesby's "liberal" views were too similar with those of Andres.
On numerous occasions during the campaign, Giorchani attacked Garesby because he was endorsed by the moderate Conservative Senator Dick Ammons. When Garesby was endorsed by his close friend, former Senator Bourret Magiscanti, another distinguished moderate figure in the state party, Giorchani made similar criticisms about Magiscanti's moderate voting record, arguing Harvannah needed a "clear conservative alternative to Mark Andres."
But Giorchani's attacks were not enough to buoy her to victory.
Polls showed conflicting predictions in the last two weeks of the campaign, with some showing Garesby in the lead and some with Giorchani in the lead. The two had largely been neck-and-neck in the polls since October, with Garesby usually leading by only a few percentage points.
However, Garesby's win on election night was enough to end all doubt. On election night, around 11:00 pm, Giorchani admitted her prospects of winning were "grim," but said she would not make a formal decision to concede until after meeting with advisers in the morning. And Sunday afternoon, speaking from her home in rural Herell County, she conceded.
"I called George Garesby this morning and congratulated him on winning. This was a hard-fought, very passionate campaign. It has been exhausting and very tense at times. Obviously, I'm disappointed I did not come out on top. It's always disappointing to lose. But this campaign has also given me an incredible opportunity to meet more people and talk with every day Harvannans about the needs of our state and the desire of the constituents and the direction they want our state to go. I'm so grateful for all the experiences I've had during the past eight months," Giorchani said.
She did not endorse Garesby.
Fellow candidates Tom Marelo and Rich Tuller also conceded, both on election night. Marelo, speaking from the Empire Hotel in downtown Goldchrist, thanked his supporters and congratulated Garesby in his win. But the self-made millionaire also urged Garesby to "not abandon the values of the Conservative party just to win an election."
"I fervently hope that Mr. Garesby does not go back on his Conservative values for the sake of a general election victory. I believe the Conservative agenda is one that people can get behind, and one that people will get behind if we present it in the right way and if we stand by our values," Marelo said to a cheering crowd.
Tuller offered similar sentiments, telling his supporters at a gathering at the Yacht Club in downtown Harlyne that the campaign was "extraordinarily tough," but he was honored to "end the campaign with dignity."
"At many points during the campaign, people suggested that I drop out of the race. I myself even considering leaving the race. This was a tough road that we traveled," Tuller admitted.
"But I ultimately decided to stay in this race because I felt the voters needed a strong economic leader as one of their options. And while I would have loved to have won tonight and would have been honored to win the nomination of our party and the chance to take on Mark Andres, I am still happy with the campaign we ran. I am still happy that we didn't quit early and give up, but we kept on fighting to the end. I think that says a lot about my values and a lot about the values of this campaign and my supporters," Tuller said.
Neither Marelo nor Tuller offered an endorsement of Mr. Garesby.
Garesby's win comes as good news for national Conservative party leaders, who publicly remained neutral during the tense primary, but were privately hoping Garesby would win, as he is seen as the most viable of the four candidates.
A spokeswoman from Mark Andres' team had no comment over the weekend.
Garesby's campaign confirmed the mayor will hold a morning press conference on Monday to address the campaign's future direction and agenda.
A final count of ballots showed Garesby winning with 29.13% of the vote. Close behind him was state Attorney General Julia Giorchani with 27.55%. Trailing Giorchani were Goldchrist businessman Tom Marelo with 23.62% and H-Tel CEO Rich Tuller with 19.70%, respectively.
Vote totals showed Garesby leading with 51,290 votes to Giorchani's 48,520. Marelo pulled in 41,595 and Tuller trailed significantly with 34,691.
Garesby's victory marked the end to a long, grueling, and bitter campaign that sharply divided the state Conservative party.
At his victory party at the waterfront Port Club in downtown Harrisport, Garesby thanked his supporters for their determination, and thanked his rivals as well.
"I want to thank all of you for your hard work and support. It's been an excruciating past few months, and this could not have been done without you," he told his supporters. "I also want to thank those that voted for me. It's a privilege to have your vote and trust, and I hope your confidence in me will only grow throughout the rest of this campaign.
"But I'd also like thank my three opponents, who worked very hard and earned a credible amount of support by their own merit. This was a tough campaign, a very, very difficult one with a lot of intensity and emotions to go around, and I would like to thank them, and I think the whole state of Harvannah should thank them for the wonderful contributions each one of them has made to our state and to our party. They are all wonderful people, and we look forward to working with them in the general election campaign and beyond," Garesby said.
During the campaign, the affable mayor from Harrisport took heat from his opponents for his moderate stance on some issues. Garesby's most credible challenger, Julia Giorchani, attacked him for his civil nature, which she considered too passive. She accused Garesby of being too meek and timid in confronting and campaigning against incumbent NAT Governor Mark Andres, and alleged Garesby's "liberal" views were too similar with those of Andres.
On numerous occasions during the campaign, Giorchani attacked Garesby because he was endorsed by the moderate Conservative Senator Dick Ammons. When Garesby was endorsed by his close friend, former Senator Bourret Magiscanti, another distinguished moderate figure in the state party, Giorchani made similar criticisms about Magiscanti's moderate voting record, arguing Harvannah needed a "clear conservative alternative to Mark Andres."
But Giorchani's attacks were not enough to buoy her to victory.
Polls showed conflicting predictions in the last two weeks of the campaign, with some showing Garesby in the lead and some with Giorchani in the lead. The two had largely been neck-and-neck in the polls since October, with Garesby usually leading by only a few percentage points.
However, Garesby's win on election night was enough to end all doubt. On election night, around 11:00 pm, Giorchani admitted her prospects of winning were "grim," but said she would not make a formal decision to concede until after meeting with advisers in the morning. And Sunday afternoon, speaking from her home in rural Herell County, she conceded.
"I called George Garesby this morning and congratulated him on winning. This was a hard-fought, very passionate campaign. It has been exhausting and very tense at times. Obviously, I'm disappointed I did not come out on top. It's always disappointing to lose. But this campaign has also given me an incredible opportunity to meet more people and talk with every day Harvannans about the needs of our state and the desire of the constituents and the direction they want our state to go. I'm so grateful for all the experiences I've had during the past eight months," Giorchani said.
She did not endorse Garesby.
Fellow candidates Tom Marelo and Rich Tuller also conceded, both on election night. Marelo, speaking from the Empire Hotel in downtown Goldchrist, thanked his supporters and congratulated Garesby in his win. But the self-made millionaire also urged Garesby to "not abandon the values of the Conservative party just to win an election."
"I fervently hope that Mr. Garesby does not go back on his Conservative values for the sake of a general election victory. I believe the Conservative agenda is one that people can get behind, and one that people will get behind if we present it in the right way and if we stand by our values," Marelo said to a cheering crowd.
Tuller offered similar sentiments, telling his supporters at a gathering at the Yacht Club in downtown Harlyne that the campaign was "extraordinarily tough," but he was honored to "end the campaign with dignity."
"At many points during the campaign, people suggested that I drop out of the race. I myself even considering leaving the race. This was a tough road that we traveled," Tuller admitted.
"But I ultimately decided to stay in this race because I felt the voters needed a strong economic leader as one of their options. And while I would have loved to have won tonight and would have been honored to win the nomination of our party and the chance to take on Mark Andres, I am still happy with the campaign we ran. I am still happy that we didn't quit early and give up, but we kept on fighting to the end. I think that says a lot about my values and a lot about the values of this campaign and my supporters," Tuller said.
Neither Marelo nor Tuller offered an endorsement of Mr. Garesby.
Garesby's win comes as good news for national Conservative party leaders, who publicly remained neutral during the tense primary, but were privately hoping Garesby would win, as he is seen as the most viable of the four candidates.
A spokeswoman from Mark Andres' team had no comment over the weekend.
Garesby's campaign confirmed the mayor will hold a morning press conference on Monday to address the campaign's future direction and agenda.
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