CAROVA CITY, Carova -- After days of counting, Conservative Gov. Sam Byelle has been declared the winner in Carova's governor's race.
The race was too close to call on election night, but late today, Carova Secretary of State Ed Chassee declared Byelle the winner, with 51.02% of the vote, or 1,192,923 votes, to Maas' 48.98%, or 1,145,233 votes.
Running for a second term, Byelle - a former senator and the older brother of President Dan Byelle - faced an unusually close race in conservative-leaning Carova.
Byelle and his running mate Dave Emser received a formidable challenge from Nationalists Anna Maas, the progresive mayor of Lorenzi, and her running mate, Dean Haley, a state senator and former chairman of the Carova NAT party.
Initially, Byelle was considered a strong favorite for re-election. But media scrutiny of his frequent vacations and out-of-state trips, along with a series of gaffes, including an incident where he was caught on camera calling his job 'boring,' led to a tightening race.
Recent polls showed the two candidates virtually tied, although Byelle appeared to solidify his lead in the final three weeks of the campaign, as Nationalists across the country began bracing for a bruising electoral defeat.
Despite a clear enthusiasm gap, Anna Maas tried desperately to rally liberals, including labor groups and women voters, two key constituencies for the NAT.
She attacked Byelle for weakening unions and supporting anti-abortion legislation, and attempted to portray him as an out-of-touch, wealthy elite who was more famous for his last name than any governmental accomplishments.
"Sam Byelle's only real claim to fame is his last name," she told a local radio DJ in Vallingburg.
It may have been a clever catch phrase, but poking fun at Byelle's family political connections did little to disuade voters in crucial counties.
Maas predictably won overwhelmingly in Lichmond County, home to Lorenzi, the state's second-largest metro area and most reliably liberal city.
She also won easily in neighboring Bridgemont and Vertow Counties, which lean liberal, and in Quarry-Wan county, a battleground in south-central Carova.
But Byelle won the biggest prize, Giles County, the state's most populous.
The governor also won adjacent Critchley County, which together with Giles County encompasses the Carlingford-Carova City metro area, the state's largest.
Byelle won strong majorities in the Barriey-Barriey, Maidenville, Port Bay and Oliver metro areas, as well as suburban areas such as Uraqua County northeast of Lorenzi, and Beren County north of Carlingford.
The Byelle/Emser ticket dominated much of eastern Carova, although several sparsely-populated counties with signigifcant Indigenous Grassadellian populations backed Maas.
Counting ballots took several days, but Secretary of State Ed Chassee confirmed the counting is complete.
Anna Maas conceded the election this afternoon, while also hinting her political career is not finished.
"I'm disappointed we didn't win. Of course I wanted to win this race, and we came so close to winning which makes it all the more heart-breaking. But I'm proud of this campaign we ran. This campaign was about much more than winning an office. This campaign was about a movement. A movement of equality, and justice, and fair pay, and the other values that we Nationalists stand strong for. And I'm proud that we elevated these issues throughout the campaign, and I intend to continue fighting for them."
Byelle accepted Maas' concession at a press conference in Carova City.
"I'm honored that Carovans have graciously given me a second term as governor. It's a privilege to serve the people of this great state."
He acknowledged, however, that he did not receive a mandate, and pledged to win back the trust of those voters who supported his opponent.
"While I did receive a majority of the vote, this was a very close race. It's clear our state is divided, and I have a lot of work to do to restore faith in this administration and build trust with the people we serve," said Byelle.
Maas will continue to serve as mayor of Lorenzi until her term expires in 2016. It's unclear what her post-mayoral plans are.
Byelle will begin his second term as governor on January 26, 2015.
Before serving as governor, Byelle represented Carova in the Federal Senate for one term.
He defeated Gov. Dan McCrae (N), himself a former senator, in a landslide win in the 2010 election.
With the Conservative Party likely to regain a majority of governorships after last week's election, Byelle is mentioned as a possible successor to outgoing Governor General Christine Gabler (N), who lost her bid for re-election in Marchenay.
The race was too close to call on election night, but late today, Carova Secretary of State Ed Chassee declared Byelle the winner, with 51.02% of the vote, or 1,192,923 votes, to Maas' 48.98%, or 1,145,233 votes.
Running for a second term, Byelle - a former senator and the older brother of President Dan Byelle - faced an unusually close race in conservative-leaning Carova.
Byelle and his running mate Dave Emser received a formidable challenge from Nationalists Anna Maas, the progresive mayor of Lorenzi, and her running mate, Dean Haley, a state senator and former chairman of the Carova NAT party.
Initially, Byelle was considered a strong favorite for re-election. But media scrutiny of his frequent vacations and out-of-state trips, along with a series of gaffes, including an incident where he was caught on camera calling his job 'boring,' led to a tightening race.
Recent polls showed the two candidates virtually tied, although Byelle appeared to solidify his lead in the final three weeks of the campaign, as Nationalists across the country began bracing for a bruising electoral defeat.
Despite a clear enthusiasm gap, Anna Maas tried desperately to rally liberals, including labor groups and women voters, two key constituencies for the NAT.
She attacked Byelle for weakening unions and supporting anti-abortion legislation, and attempted to portray him as an out-of-touch, wealthy elite who was more famous for his last name than any governmental accomplishments.
"Sam Byelle's only real claim to fame is his last name," she told a local radio DJ in Vallingburg.
It may have been a clever catch phrase, but poking fun at Byelle's family political connections did little to disuade voters in crucial counties.
Maas predictably won overwhelmingly in Lichmond County, home to Lorenzi, the state's second-largest metro area and most reliably liberal city.
She also won easily in neighboring Bridgemont and Vertow Counties, which lean liberal, and in Quarry-Wan county, a battleground in south-central Carova.
But Byelle won the biggest prize, Giles County, the state's most populous.
The governor also won adjacent Critchley County, which together with Giles County encompasses the Carlingford-Carova City metro area, the state's largest.
Byelle won strong majorities in the Barriey-Barriey, Maidenville, Port Bay and Oliver metro areas, as well as suburban areas such as Uraqua County northeast of Lorenzi, and Beren County north of Carlingford.
The Byelle/Emser ticket dominated much of eastern Carova, although several sparsely-populated counties with signigifcant Indigenous Grassadellian populations backed Maas.
Counting ballots took several days, but Secretary of State Ed Chassee confirmed the counting is complete.
Anna Maas conceded the election this afternoon, while also hinting her political career is not finished.
"I'm disappointed we didn't win. Of course I wanted to win this race, and we came so close to winning which makes it all the more heart-breaking. But I'm proud of this campaign we ran. This campaign was about much more than winning an office. This campaign was about a movement. A movement of equality, and justice, and fair pay, and the other values that we Nationalists stand strong for. And I'm proud that we elevated these issues throughout the campaign, and I intend to continue fighting for them."
Byelle accepted Maas' concession at a press conference in Carova City.
"I'm honored that Carovans have graciously given me a second term as governor. It's a privilege to serve the people of this great state."
He acknowledged, however, that he did not receive a mandate, and pledged to win back the trust of those voters who supported his opponent.
"While I did receive a majority of the vote, this was a very close race. It's clear our state is divided, and I have a lot of work to do to restore faith in this administration and build trust with the people we serve," said Byelle.
Maas will continue to serve as mayor of Lorenzi until her term expires in 2016. It's unclear what her post-mayoral plans are.
Byelle will begin his second term as governor on January 26, 2015.
Before serving as governor, Byelle represented Carova in the Federal Senate for one term.
He defeated Gov. Dan McCrae (N), himself a former senator, in a landslide win in the 2010 election.
With the Conservative Party likely to regain a majority of governorships after last week's election, Byelle is mentioned as a possible successor to outgoing Governor General Christine Gabler (N), who lost her bid for re-election in Marchenay.
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