MANCHESTER, N.H. – Spirits remained high at Democrat John Edwards’ primary night party, in spite of a third-place finish.
“I am in this race until we have actually restored the American dream,” Edwards said on Tuesday night in his concession speech.
With 59 percent of districts reporting, Edwards received 17 percent of the vote, according to numbers provided by The New York Times. Democrat Barack Obama, senator of Illinois, received 37 percent of the vote. Democrat Hillary Clinton, senator of New York, received 39 percent of the vote.
The unofficial totals are Clinton with 55,439 votes, Obama with 55,987 votes and Edwards with 25,524 votes.
As for the Republicans, John McCain, senator of Arizona, declared victory over candidates Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts and Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas. As of 10:15 p.m., McCain had received 37 percent of the vote, Romney had received 31 percent and Huckabee had received 11 percent.
Edwards held an election night party at the Tower Mills in Manchester. The location fit perfectly with Edwards’s image as a supporter of the working class and an opponent to corporate outsourcing. The dimly lit mill played host to exposed brick walls criss-crossed with piping and dusty wood-paneled floors.
At the party, supporters watched the results on two large flat-screen televisions. For many, the end results were no surprise. Just the same though, they stood by their candidate.
“I’m writing his name down in November no matter what,” said Stephanie Orr. Orr is the manager of a local charity. Edwards represents the key to a better America, she said. “I truly, honestly believe he’s got the drive and determination to make this country great again,” Orr said.
At a polling place in Manchester’s third ward, voters said Edwards was one of the most accessible candidates. He seemed, they said, like a man who would fight for the working class.
Rob Dirusso, 36 is a high school tutor. He has met Edwards four times in the last six months, he said. For a long time, Dirusso was torn between Edwards and Obama. He tried to attend an Obama event several weeks ago, he said, and he could not get in. “To me, I was upset,” Disrusso said.
“He lost my vote right there.”
Richard Curtis, 26, decided to vote for Edwards after Saturday’s debate at Saint Anselm’s College. “He seemed like the only person in the debate who could answer a question correctly,” he said.
(Andrew Restuccia, a senior newspaper and religion and society major, is covering the New Hampshire primary for The Sun of Lowell, Mass. )
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