Ex-Irish ambassador refuses to concede Connecticut governor race standoff

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Tom Foley

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Former Ambassador to Ireland Tom Foley has refused to concede in the Connecticut governor’s race despite the state chief’s election officer declaring his opponent the winner.

But the Associated Press said on Wednesday evening that its vote shows Foley with a lead of 8,424 votes over Malloy AP said that based on its own count  it was calling  Foley the winner.

Dan Malloy the Democratic candidate, was leading by 3,100 out of one million votes cast when the race was called by the election officer.

However, Foley refused to concede stating that his own count showed him leading by 2,000 votes.

The election was the closest in over 50 years in the Nutmeg  State.

Foley vowed to keep fighting during a press briefing on Wednesday afternoon.

He claimed that the election officer  Susan Bysiewicz, a Democrat, had jumped the gun with absentee ballots and other votes  still to be counted.

“It does raise an eyebrow,” Mr. Foley told The New York Times. “I’m a little surprised that the secretary of state would announce an unofficial result when she admits that she doesn’t have all the information. I think someone committed to acting impartially would have been more reserved.”

Republican supporters of Foley are prepared to launch a legal challenge if that is necessary and to demand a recount. However, the state law says that recounts must be triggered only when less than 2,000 votes separate the sides.

The race was a nailbiter throughout with Foley, who was Ambassador to Ireland under George Bush, closing strongly after trailing in the early months of the contest.

Meanwhile, his opponent has organized  a transition team and is preparing to be named governor  but the race may well not be over yet.

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