A.C. mayor who lost reelection takes back concession -- sort of
Shortly after 9:20 p.m. Tuesday, Atlantic City Mayor Lorenzo Langford conceded that he had lost his reelection bid to Republican challenger Don Guardian.
Now, Langford says he wants to wait until the results of the tight election are certified before officially calling his opponent the new mayor.
On Harry Hurley's show on WPG 1450 this morning, Langford called his Tuesday night speech "a concession of sorts" but said 800 provisional ballots and 130 absentee ballots have yet to be counted.
Preliminary election results showed Guardian leading by fewer than 200 votes, with 3,066 ballots to the Democratic incumbent's 2,904.
"With that information, you have to put the brakes on it, and say this thing is not over," Langford said. He said the vote count shouldn't be considered final "until it's been certified."
Numbers released by Atlantic County today showed 518 provisional ballots cast in Atlantic City.
Including non-machine ballots cast, Guardian was leading by 347 ballots: 3,687 votes to Langford's 3,340.
Langford, a foe of Republican Gov. Chris Christie, traded barbs with the governor in the national spotlight during the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. After his election, Guardian, the head of the Atlantic City Special Services District, pledged better relations with the state and the casino industry.
Langford said he had no indication how many of the yet-to-be-counted ballots were in his favor, but said Guardian's lead among already-counted absentee votes likely gave his opponent the edge.
"I would rather be in the position that he's in than the one I'm in," Langford said.
He said he wanted to see the outcome of the provisional ballots, but was "resolved that it's over" and prepared to move on.
On the show, Langford said complacency among his supporters contributed in part to Guardian's upset win. Over the past days, he said, his staff has been "shocked with the number of people who admitted they didn't vote because they thought it was in the bag."