Tom Foley Exits on Grace Notes.

Republican Tom Foley impressed the state with his cool handling of the chaotic vote count in his close race for governor with Democrat and Working Families candidate Dan Malloy.  Foley raised reasonable questions about results from Bridgeport and the heavy-handed declaration last Wednesday of Democratic Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz that Malloy had won the election.

Foley’s Friday and Monday press conferences were models of restraint and logic. Anyone who saw him yesterday believed that his conclusion that Bridgeport was a mess but not a big enough mess to change the outcome.  He also made the point that voters who’d been handed a ballot fresh off the nearest copy machine shouldn’t pay the price for election officials’ folly.

Today he sent this message to friends and supporters:

Yesterday afternoon, after a thorough look at last Tuesday’s voting, I announced that Dan Malloy had won the race for governor. Based on current results, he won by .5% of the vote, one of the closest margins in a governor’s race in Connecticut history. We came this close despite visits by a current and former president supporting my opponent in the final days of the race, millions of dollars of democratic money pouring into the state to defend their congressional candidates, and state unions launching an expensive get out the vote drive.

We would not have come this close without your interest and support. My campaign brought in thousands of contributors, volunteers, and other supporters each of whom helped win over 560,000 votes across Connecticut.

It has been a great year and a half on the campaign trail and I want to thank you for your involvement in my race.

Sincerely,

Tom Foley