On Nov. 20, Gary Morris lost his bid for election with 90,365 votes, according to unofficial results from the Onondaga County Board of Elections.
In a close race, Democrat Gary Morris lagged behind in the race for Onondaga County Clerk.
“The race is not over,” Morris said. “This is not a defeat tonight. This is a sweet victory for right now.”
As of 11:43 p.m., with all 427 precincts reporting, Morris has 83,442 votes, or 49 percent of the vote, according to unofficial results from the Onondaga County Board of Elections.
Morris is running against Republican Sandra Schepp. She had 87,994 votes, or 51 percent.
This is the first open-seat race for Onondaga County Clerk in 16 years. The previous clerk, Ann Ciarpelli retired from the position in July.
On Tuesday night at the Democratic Party gathering at Pensabene’s Casa Grande, Morris was constantly surrounded by friends and family as he quietly watched election results scroll across a flat-screen television in the middle of the bustling party. His wife Regina Morris stuck by his side in support as the numbers rolled in.
At 11:30 p.m., Morris took the microphone on the stage to address the audience for a second time within 15 minutes. He proudly announced the previous four-point lead his opponent had held on him had decreased to two-points.
“We’re moving forward, Democrats, and we’re going to get this won by this week or next week,” Morris cheered. “Hang in there with me.”
In his campaign, Morris highlighted his experience working in county government as a budget analyst for Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney. Morris owns G&R Real Estate and also teaches business classes at Onondaga Community College and Cazenovia College. He is chair of Ward 1 of the Onondaga County Democratic Committee as well as a member of the Syracuse City School District Educational Foundation Board, Knights of Columbus and 100 Black Men.
At the Erwin First United Methodist polling place on Tuesday, over ten voters said they were not aware of the candidates and the issues for the Onondaga County Clerk race.
“I voted for county clerk by my party line, which is Democratic, because I didn’t know much about either one of them,” said Sarah Montgomery, 70, of Syracuse.
Gabriel Genovese, a Republican who said he aligns himself more with the Conservative Party, did the same. “I voted party line because I didn’t know their issues,” he said.
With 14,000 absentee ballots and up to 5,000 affidavit ballots left to count, Morris said he is remaining optimistic and is preparing for the days to come.
“Tonight I’m going to go home, have a cup of coffee and get ready for class in the morning,” he said. Then, he said, he would go to the board of elections to check on the results. Said Morris, “It’s too close, too close.”
(Amy Lipman is a senior with dual majors in broadcast journalism and international relations.)
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