Supporters of Republican gubernatorial candidate Rob Astorino joined him in White Plains to await last night’s election results.
The governor’s race was called minutes after the polls closed, but Rob Astorino didn’t take the stage to give his concession speech for another hour. When he finally did, all hope of a long shot upset was dashed. His message? The campaign wasn't a lost cause.
“We have not tilted at windmills in this campaign, we have planted a flag," he said. "And we will be back to reclaim it and advance it further.”
Astorino says he genuinely hopes Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been listening.
“The Empire State is failing. And that’s not acceptable," said Astorino. "We’re losing jobs and population because our taxes are the nation’s highest and our economic outlook is the nation’s worst.”
It’s not that anyone expected a huge upset in the race for governor. Supporter John Bach took the loss in stride.
“He was the 20 point underdog; I think anything above 20 is an accomplishment at this point,” Bach said.
Those sentiments were echoed by most supporters in the room and for them this election was about making their voices and issues heard. Supporter Kathy Sapeta says under Cuomo voters aren't being represented, special interests are.
“We need more people to stand behind Rob and to continue that effort because what’s going on in New York is a disgrace to any New Yorker who’s living here and that’s why people are leaving,” she said.
Before leaving the hotel for the night, Astorino told the crowd he is happy to continue governing Westchester County and while they may have lost this race the time will come for them to advance their cause.
