Mayoral campaigns react on election night

The four men of Boston’s 2009 mayoral election received strong shows of support from their followers at election night parties throughout the city as they either proclaimed victory or conceded defeat after Tuesday’s preliminary election.

Incumbent Mayor Thomas Menino and City Councilor-at-Large Michael Flaherty will advance to the Nov. 3 general election. But for City Councilor-at-Large Sam Yoon and South End businessman Kevin McCrea, the race is over.

‘A positive vision, experience and focus on neighborhoods came out on top,’ Menino said at the IBEW Local 103 Union Hall in Dorchester.

‘The mayor won. He’s the mayor of our people,’ Menino supporter Freni Donna said. ‘The people came out and supported him.’

Menino’s vote total was more than twice that of City Councilor-at-Large Michael Flaherty, but the South Boston native addressed an excited crowd, chanting ‘we can’t wait’ at the Venezia Waterfront Restaurant in Dorchester.

‘There were those who didn’t think we’d be here tonight,’ Flaherty said. ‘They believed that the political machine of one, and you know who I’m talking about, can overtake the power of many, to them I say one word: courage.’

‘We need someone who has a perspective about what’s going on,’ Flaherty volunteer Rosalinda Midence said. ‘We need fresh blood.’

At times, City Councilor-At-Large Sam Yoon’s voice quavered as he addressed about 300 supporters gathered at The Carver Lodge in Dorchester in an emotional concession speech. Yoon finished three percentage points behind Flaherty.

‘I want you all to know that there is nothing I regret about doing this,’ Yoon said. ‘Change is hard work and it takes time . . . it doesn’t just happen in one night, one campaign, one election.’

‘This is just the beginning,’ Yoon said. ‘We’re going to go on.’

Yoon’s supporters at the ‘post-election dance party’ were disappointed to see their candidate defeated.

‘Boston missed the opportunity to have him as mayor,’ volunteer Sharon McCollum said. ‘But he’s not done yet.’

South End businessman Kevin McCrea did not pull off a long-shot win, but the mood was cheerful throughout the evening in the intimate bar-room atmosphere of his party at Wally’s on Massachusetts Avenue.

‘I feel fantastic. I’m really excited,’ he said. ‘I’m really happy about how the whole race went.’

McCrea’s supporters stressed the influence their candidate had on the issues discussed in the race.

‘He brought dialogue to the campaign,’ campaign volunteer Cat Gibbons said.

Yoon’s campaign manager Mary Grissom said although she had not seen the final turnout numbers, they didn’t live up to the campaign’s expectations.

‘My impression was that turnout was once again too low,’ Grissom said. ‘That’s the bottom line.’

Eighty-two thousand voters went to the polls Tuesday, 23 percent of registered Boston voters and more than twice as many as the 2005 preliminary.

Yoon told the audience he called both Flaherty and Menino to congratulate them, but refused to say which candidate he would endorse or what his future plans are.

‘It’s not something I want to talk about tonight,’ Yoon said.

McCrea offered a clue as to his future actions in the race when asked by an audience member who he wants his voters to support.

‘I’ll tell you. Watch your email, watch your Twitter, but it ain’t gonna be Menino,’ he said.

Some supporters at the Yoon party did not know who they would vote for now that their favorite candidate was out of the race.

‘I’m certainly not voting for the mayor,’ Yoon’s New Media Director Heather Johnson said.

Both Menino and Flaherty wasted no time looking toward the general election in their victory speeches.

‘Freshen those yard signs up, knock on those doors, flex those Twitter fingers,’ Menino said. ‘We have 42 days. Let’s make the most of them so we can make the most of this great city.’

‘Tomorrow in Boston will be a new day,’ Flaherty said. ‘A new for Boston, a new day for all of us.’

Staff reporters Lilia Stantcheva, Yue Huang and Emily Lorei contributed to the reporting of this article.