Democrat Martha Coakley delivered her concession speech tonight after losing the Massachusetts special election for Ted Kennedy’s senate seat that just weeks ago she was assumed to have in the bag.
With 94% of precincts reporting, Coakley trailed Republican Scott Brown 52-47.
“I’ve offered him my congratulations and my best wishes on his victory tonight,” Coakley said of her Republican opponent.
Apparently trying to counter criticism that’s being flung from nearly every Democratic quarter, Coakley defended her campaign:
We never lost our focus or our determination. And you never demonstrated an ounce of discouragement or complacency as far as I’m concerned in this campaign. I know how hard we worked.
Coakley also said she spoke with President Obama tonight, and that he’d told her he understands “we can’t win them all.”
Coakley also thanked Vicki Kennedy, the widow of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, who backed Coakley in the race.
“I have to thank her and I know you join me in that tonight, as well as the entire Kennedy family for their love and support in this endeavor.”
The Democrat said she was “heartbroken” about losing.
“There will be plenty of Wednesday morning quarterbacking about what happened and went right, what went wrong,” Coakley said. “And I know everyone, including me — I am brutally honest on my own performances — we will be honest about the assessment of this race.”
Here’s the video:
