Primaries and DeStefano go on

TED DISKANT/YH A supporter congratulates Mayor John DeStefano after his victory over State Senator Martin Looney in the Tues., Sept. 11, New Haven mayoral primary

Meanwhile, the DeStefano campaign celebrated in style at the dance club, Alchemy, where hundreds of supporters packed the disco ball-lit main floor. The mayor himself worked the crowd, beer in hand, receiving high-fives and bear hugs from supporters. And while staffers on both sides had predicted a close race, as more and more numbers came in, it became increasingly clear that DeStefano's margin of victory would be substantial. While Looney aides had put up poster boards with grids denoting each ward, staffers did not even bother recording results. By 8:40 p.m., less than an hour after the polls had closed, the Looney camp had admitted defeat.

"Asking these voters to vote today was not an easy thing to do," DeStefano said in an interview Tuesday night. "But this is a special country that we live in. We're all Americans today. We're all New Haven Democrats today, and we've got a lot to be thankful for." As DeStefano's victory was announced, the crowd went wild, and life-size replicas of the mayor were hauled out and waved high in the air by a young and enthusiastic group of supporters.

In a race in which both sides had thought that identifying and rallying their supporters would be crucial, the election-night gatherings seemed particularly telling. "We won with the support of a multi-ethnic, intergenerational, city-wide base," DeStefano Campaign Manager Julio Gonzalez, CC '99, said. "For Looney, it was more the establishment crowd."

DeStefano, who totaled nearly 64 percent of the vote citywide, won 26 of New Haven's 30 wards, losing only in the East Shore district, which Looney represents in the State Senate. "We knew we needed to turn out the vote in Marty's senate district," Looney campaign manager Jason Bartlett said. "We did win in that area, but not by the margins that we needed."

In part, Bartlett blames the senator's loss on the state's decision to keep the polls open. "I think it was inappropriate to have the election," he said. "It put everyone in a difficult position. People wanted to stay home and watch the news and be with their families and children, and rightfully so." In particular, Bartlett pointed to the Looney campaign's effort to woo Hispanic voters. "We registered over 400 new Hispanic voters," Bartlett said. "But I believe the Hispanic voters were greatly affected by the tragedy because they have a lot of relatives in New York. They weren't voting. They were home, watching the news and trying to contact family, and rightfully so."

Gonzalez called Bartlett's theory that Hispanic voters were more likely to stay home "sickening," adding that "we all had difficulties [on Tuesday]. I'm not even going to respond to that." Instead, Gonzalez pointed to the strong grassroots support the Mayor enjoyed, particularly the day of the election, in working the streets and getting out the vote. "It all comes down to execution on election day," Gonzalez said. "We did a better job of that." Bartlett seemed unfazed by Gonzalez' criticism, adding, "[DeStefano] had a lot more money to spend on street organization. They had a superior organization on the street Tuesday getting voters out. And they had it because they paid to have it. They had 44 paid staff members. We had three or four."

The rift between campaigns over the consequences of Tuesday's tragedy is just one sign that the bitterness developed during an often heated primary race may linger well past the election. Asked for his thoughts on what gave the Mayor the extra boost down the stretch, Looney was clear that he had consistently felt at a disadvantage. "The resources that [DeStefano] had to bring to bear, raising over $450,000 for multiple mailings and television and the array of outreach efforts, the kind of campaign you can purchase with those resources had a telling effect," Looney said.

And in Thurs., Sept. 13's New Haven Register, Gonzalez responded, calling the Looney campaign "horrible, horrible, horrible." Criticizing their ad campaigns and other publicity tactics, Gonzalez added that "[the Looney campaign] really didn't understand what was in the minds of voters." Reached for comment Thursday evening, Bartlett was obviously irate. "I don't think my response is fit for a newspaper," Bartlett said. But given the opportunity, the Looney campaign manager did not resist the opportunity to take a dig at his rival. "Generally, people try to be gracious after an election. I certainly feel I have been gracious in defeat," he said. "I think that [Gonzalez's] comments are inaccurate, completely out of line, and inappropriate."

Meanwhile, DeStefano looks ahead to a November showdown with Republican challenger Joel Schiavone, SM '58. Standing Tuesday amidst a horde of energetic supporters, the mayor was nothing if not confident about the general election. "New Haven Democrats will come together," he said. "They'll come together around home ownership and choice in schools and making this a place that reaches out to everybody and includes everybody." DeStefano is interrupted by a commotion on the other side of the dance floor. A young man holding a life-size poster of the mayor waves it in the air and points. "There's the mayor, the real mayor!" The crowd erupts. "It was a contest with a lot of energy," the mayor adds, with a smile.

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