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With some Philly votes still out there, Saidel hopes for recount

It’s come to this: Jonathan Saidel might need a recount.

The former Philadelphia City Controller was stunned in his campaign for Lieutenant Governor Tuesday, when night stretched into morning with state Representative Scott Conklin (D-Centre) holding onto a narrow lead.

Early Wednesday afternoon, there were votes still to be counted in some Philadelphia precincts where Saidel’s campaign hoped to perform well, but it faced a steep uphill climb, trailing by almost 5,000 votes. Conklin led by exactly one-half a percentage point, a margin that, if it grew any slimmer, could trigger an automatic recount at the Secretary of State’s discretion.

“I want to take this opportunity to extend my deepest gratitude to the voters who participated in yesterday’s election and honored me their votes and to congratulate my opponents on a race well run,” Saidel said in a statement Wednesday afternoon. “Our democracy is the greatest system ever devised to choose those who lead and govern us.

“As we await the final results of yesterday’s election,” he said, “it appears more than 70 precincts have not been included in the vote count for Lieutenant Governor leaving the final outcome in question. As we understand it, it is the prerogative of the Pennsylvania Secretary Sate to proceed with a recount. State election law provides for a process that will guarantee every vote is counted and tallied correctly. We have every confidence Secretary Cortes will proceed in an appropriate manner and we will do all we can to bring about an expeditious and accurate conclusion to the primary election.”

May 19, 2010 at 1:35 pm

--pa2010.com Staff

Tags: Jonathan Saidel, Lt. Gov., Scott Conklin

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