by Laura Krantz vtdigger.org Scott Milne on Wednesday morning in Burlington said he won’t concede the gubernatorial election as he stood 2,145 votes behind Governor Peter Shumlin. Milne is waiting for all the votes to come in, and it’s unclear whether the candidate will call for a recount. His decision to wait initially stalled comments from his opponent. Shumlin’s campaign Wednesday morning said the governor would not comment until Milne did, but by late morning Shumlin issued what amounted to a victory statement as Milne put off a planned press conference.
In an email which came in at 11:39 am, Shumlin said: "We've taken a close look at the numbers. While I will await final counts and further statements from Scott Milne, it is clear we are ahead and I'm confident that I've received the most votes. Serving as governor has been the greatest privilege of my life and I will be proud to continue leading this great state. I understand how close this election was and I want Vermonters to know that I will be working hard for each and every one of them."
Milne was at the Sheraton hotel in South Burlington with his family. He has chosen not to ascend to the podium in the lobby prepared for a press conference, which he said earlier in the morning he would hold.
As reporters gathered around the lobby Wednesday morning, Milne’s campaign sent a statement to the press emphasizing that he would wait for final numbers before commenting.
“If I expected to concede I would concede now,” Milne said in a phone interview.
SEE UP-TO-DATE STATEWIDE RESULTS HERE
Milne said he would wait until more results came in before deciding whether to ask for a recount.
The Republican political neophyte became optimistic about his chances in the last 48 hours of his campaign.
“I thought we were going to win this election,” he said.
Milne’s statement:
As Vermont waits for complete preliminary numbers to be reported by the Secretary of State’s office, gubernatorial candidate Scott Milne said he is grateful for the tens of thousands of Vermonters who voted for a change in yesterday’s election.
“What is clear is that the majority of Vermonters do not agree with the path that we are on. We are going to wait for the final numbers,” Milne said.
“I am incredibly grateful to all of the Vermonters who cast their ballots on my behalf yesterday. I owe it to my supporters and all Vermonters to see the totals before we make any further statements,” Milne said.
The Secretary of State’s office Wednesday said final results that include all precincts likely won’t be available until Saturday or Sunday.
The online results are unofficial results but now town clerks are focused on getting official results certified and mailed to Secretary of State Jim Condos’ office. That by law must be done in 48 hours.
Once Condos’ office receives the results by mail, election workers will enter them into the computer system and they will likely be available this weekend, according to Condos’ office.
PHOTO: Republican candidate for governor Scott Milne arrives at the Sheraton Burlington Hotel and Conference Center in South Burlington on election night. Photo by John Herrick/VTDigger