O'Brien concedes defeat, offers to help Romney

“It’s not looking good,” said one member of Shannon O’Brien’s campaign at approximately 10 p.m. last night at the Boston Sheraton Hotel.

And sure enough, at 10:45, to the strains of “Ain’t No Stopping Us Now,” the Democratic candidate walked on stage, stopped campaigning and conceded the gubernatorial race to Republican Mitt Romney.

“I just spoke with Mitt Romney and congratulated him on a hard-fought victory,” O’Brien said as she stood at the podium flanked by a crowd that included her running-mate Chris Gabrieli, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and Sen. John Kerry, who had given his victory speech an hour before.

“I also offered him my support and help as he tackles the challenge that lies ahead,” she added, offering an amicable sentiment that was a noticeable change from the negative campaigning of recent weeks. O’Brien called on the new administration to “put partisanship aside and work closely with the legislature in these tough budgetary times to protect Massachusetts families.”

In her speech, O’Brien highlighted what have been the major issues of her campaign, like economic improvement, prescription drug benefits for seniors and education. Opening her arms to the crowd that continued cheering despite its dashed hopes, she thanked the public for its support and cited the hard work of several elected officials as integral to her campaign.

“This stage isn’t big enough to hold all of those who have earned a spot up here ... Thank you for standing by me. Thank you for continuing the fight for working families in Massachusetts,” she said.

Though he said it was early to speculate, O’Brien press secretary Adrian Durbin said independents and undecided voters swinging strongly in Romney’s favor may have adversely affected the outcome of the race. He rejected the theory that Green Party candidate Jill Stein, who came out with approximately 3 percent of the vote, pulled support away from O’Brien.

Certain regions “didn’t get the margins we needed,” Durbin explained, mentioning examples such as certain areas in the South Shore and Hamden County in the western part of the state.

Earlier in the evening, Thomas Gill, an enthusiastic and passionate O’Brien supporter, had predicted a sure win for the O’Brien, claming “foot soldiers in the western part of the state” would be the backbone of her success at the polls.

Disappointed supporters appeared confused and were at a loss for their own hypotheses to explain the defeat. If elected, O’Brien would have been the first woman elected governor in the state and the first Democrat in 12 years.

“I don’t know – I think she was a great candidate. I think she worked hard and I think her message was the right one,” said Susan Hannon of Milton after O’Brien conceded defeat. Hannon predicted O’Brien’s reappearance in some public role in the future.

“She’s 43 years old,” Durbin said, looking ahead. “She’s got a bright future ahead of her. I wouldn’t be surprised if she reentered public life, but she has no immediate plans.”

As the cheers quickly died down, signs and stickers were cast aside and the room began to clear out, one supporter remained optimistic. Though the public didn’t see “real Shannon O’Brien — the warm, confident, loving and tough Shannon O’Brien,” Gerry McDonough of Cambridge said he thought she put up a respectable fight.

“When you fight the good fight for important values, you never lose,” he said. “I’m very proud of Shannon O’Brien.”