Still No Winner –

Election Leaves Voters Red-Eyed And Confused

By Steve Bigham

Newtown joined the rest of the country this week in trying to recover from a serious case of election night sleeplessness. While George W. Bush appeared to have the inside track to the White House, both parties, including the Republicans, were singing the blues.

The closest presidential election in American history left the race still up in the air as of Thursday morning and had all of America in a bit of a quandary. Talk of the Electoral College, the Florida recount, and the prospect of George W. Bush becoming our next President (despite receiving fewer votes overall than Mr Gore) cropped up all over town. Others said the whole situation seemed a little fishy, particularly the election results coming out of Florida. On Wednesday, reports indicated that a confusing ballot might have fooled some Florida voters, who said they accidentally voted for Buchanan instead of Gore.

Everyone expected the Gore vs Bush race to be close, but no one could have ever predicted the final scenario. As Republican Town Committee Chairman Marie Sturdevant pointed out, this was history in the making. The fact that America would still not know who its next President would be days after the election came as a surprise to most.

By 9:15 pm Tuesday, every major TV network in the country had all but given the victory to Al Gore. The announcement that he had won Florida had the Democrats feeling good about their chances and that sentiment was reflected at Newtown’s Democratic headquarters in Sandy Hook. The news that US Congressman Jim Maloney was running away with the Fifth District added to the Democrats’ excitement.

Up the road at Republican headquarters, party members seemed downcast as the results came in. Bush had apparently lost Florida, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. On top of that, Jim Maloney was obliterating Mark Nielsen and Hilary Rodham Clinton was well on her way to becoming New York’s next junior Senator.

Both party headquarters were closed up by 10 pm as everyone went home to spend the rest of the night in front of the TV. They arrived home to learn that Gore did not in fact win Florida, but that the state was still in question. Suddenly, George W. Bush was back in the driver’s seat. Without Florida, most experts felt Al Gore’s chances were slim.

Democratic Town Committee Chairman Earl J. Smith admitted he did not get much sleep Tuesday night.

“I’ve never seen anything like this in my lifetime. I was at Democratic headquarters when Florida came in and we were very happy. Then Pennsylvania came in. I left headquarters believing that Florida was all wrapped up for Gore. I had a late bite to eat, then came the report that that wasn’t the case at all,” he recalled.

Throughout the night, the unfolding election results kept viewers glued to their television sets. By 2 am Wednesday, Mr Bush was declared the winner and his opponent called to concede. An hour later, Mr Gore called back to retract his previous statement after word out of Florida indicated the race was still too close to call. A recount was ordered.

“We’re all in limbo – emotionally drained,” Mr Smith said. “You watch and you wait. You think you have won it, then to find out that’s not the case.”

Tired patrons at My Place Restaurant Wednesday morning seemed to be somewhat dazed as they talked over breakfast.

“When I heard that Gore had won Florida, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, I thought, ‘oh boy, it looks like Gore is going to win.’ Then they withdrew their predictions,” said Jack Rosenthal, shaking his head. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Edwin Dudeck suggested the election proved that the Electoral College (see related story) should be done away with. He also pointed out that Ralph Nader’s candidacy may have cost Mr Gore the election. Sadly, residents said, only 50 percent of the country bothered to vote in an election that provided ample evidence that every vote does count.

In Newtown, Bush was the winner, 6,059-5,606. Democrats were still holding out hope that Gore might still win the national election, however.

“When you have a horse race, until the horse goes over the finish line, if you’re a real better, you never give up,” Mr Smith said. “It’s not over ‘til it’s over.”

The Local Results

The Presidential vote notwithstanding, Newtown voters reaffirmed their satisfaction with the current representation in both Washington and Hartford. The local vote mirrored that in other area towns, particularly in the Fifth District, where Democratic Congressman Jim Maloney rolled over Republican challenger Mark Nielsen, 5,679-5,346.

 Mr Maloney, who returns to his seat for a third term, defeated his challenger by even a larger margin than he did two years ago. Districtwide, Mr Maloney took 60 percent of the vote, bringing an end to what had been a bitter debate between the two. The mudslinging campaigns featured numerous negative ads, particularly from Mr Nielsen, which, in the end, may have backfired.

“The negative campaign did not help at all,” noted Mrs Sturdevant, who said she had spoken to Mr Nielsen about that in the past. “I think our whole Republican Party needs to be re-energized and reorganized.”

Senator Joe Lieberman, whose bid to become the next Vice President was still in question at press time, retained his seat in the nation’s capital by defeating current Waterbury mayor Phil Giordano. Newtown voted in favor of Senator Lieberman, 6,245-4,565.

A total of 12,008 registered voters (or 83 percent) turned out at the polls this week. An additional 417 non-registered voters also cast their votes for a total of 12,432 Newtown votes.

Newtown voters endorsed the Republican incumbents representing them in Hartford, sending all of them back for two more years. State Senator John McKinney was returned to his seat in the 28th District with a convincing win over Democratic challenger Felix Giannini. In Newtown, voters favored Mr McKinney, 6,833-3,667.

 State Representative Julia Wasserman will head back to Hartford for a sixth term after she garnered more than 5,000 votes. Mrs Wasserman, running unopposed, was a breath of fresh air at an otherwise glum Republican headquarters Tuesday night, showing up in celebratory fashion. Of course, the mood took an upward turn later in the night as the Bush ticket began to rebound.

In the 112th District, Republican State Representative Pat Shea of Monroe defeated Democratic newcomer Joseph Ziehl, who ran on the premise that his party affiliation would give him an advantage in Hartford. Voters didn’t buy it, however. In Newtown, Mrs Shea won, 1,834-1,007, and Mr Ziehl got a firsthand look at the district’s Republican influence.

John Stripp, running unopposed, was returned to his seat in the 135th District, picking up 789 votes in Newtown.