Chris Gabrieli |
Chris Gabrieli spent something like $12 million on his campaign, so you’d think he could have ponied up for an open bar at his election-night event at the Westin Copley Place on Tuesday night. It seemed a bit unfair that the volunteers who busted their asses all day for him — many of them T drivers, ironworkers, corrections officers, and other union workers — had to shell out $11 for a glass of wine or $7 for a Bud Light when they arrived at the Westin ballroom (while a couple dozen VIPs got better treatment upstairs). Most of the volunteers, having worked right up to 8 pm when the polls closed, arrived after TV38 called the race for Deval Patrick at roughly 8:45. They needed drinks. The end was quick for Gabrieli supporters. As the polls were closing, top members of his campaign team remained, if not exactly optimistic, at least hopeful. Turnout was running high — close to 900,000, compared with the 650,000 predicted by the Secretary of State —and that was supposed to be good for Gabrieli: it meant, presumably, that more un-enrolled voters were going to the polls, something figured to be his strength.
Kerry Healey was counting on such a calculation too. In an unusual move in the midst of an opposing party’s primary battle, she attacked Gabrieli in a television ad just days before the vote, in a bid to convince un-enrolled voters to stay home on Tuesday and thus help hand the Democratic nomination to Patrick — whom political observers assume will have a tough time winning over middle-of-the-roaders by November.
But it turned out that many un-enrolled voters liked Deval Patrick, and came out and voted for him. That spelled doom for Gabrieli, and can’t be good news for Healey.
Patrick, nonetheless, will need as much help as he can get. That means he needs the hard work of the disappointed and unhappily sober Gabrieli troops, who labored mightily to put on a game face on Tuesday night. Certainly Gabrieli made a good show of support in his concession speech, although he seemed less enthused about Deval than pissed at Kerry for her unseemly — and unsubtle — attempt to influence the Democratic primary.
His supporters didn’t sound exactly eager to join the Patrick bandwagon — understandably, having just been bested. Many of them said they would work for Patrick. But others said they’d have to wait and decide. None applauded when apparent lieutenant-governor nominee Tim Murray, via the big TV screens in the ballroom, called out that “the Patrick/Murray team is ready to rock and roll!” And they paused before clapping tepidly in response to Gabrieli’s call to help Patrick win in November.
That’s to be expected — these folks truly believed in their man, and they showed it, cheering and chanting “Chris!” and mobbing his every footstep. Then, when it was all over, they went home defeated. One campaign worker could be overheard on his cell phone bemoaning what a Patrick victory means: “You might as well hand it over to the Republicans.” That man needs a free drink.
