Update: Numbers released in Beacon Falls, Derby and Seymour show Theresa Conroy defeated Len Greene, Jr. by 58 votes Tuesday night.
The updated unofficial tally: 5,141 votes for Conroy, 5,083 votes for Greene.
Numbers don’t become ‘official’ until certified by the state. The numbers above are the numbers the governments in Beacon Falls, Derby and Seymour submitted to the state.
Original post follows:
Democrat Theresa Conroy won her seat back from Republican Len Greene, Jr. in the 105th State House race Tuesday by 52 votes, according to unofficial results from Conroy’s campaign.
Conroy’s camp showed the vote tally as 5,106 to 5,054.
Greene’s campaign also had the margin of victory for Conroy at 52 votes, but Greene said late Tuesday he would not be conceding the race because an automatic recount may be triggered.
Greene said he is waiting for the official word from the secretary of state’s office.
“I won’t concede tonight,” Greene said at about 10 p.m. “I’ll wait and see what the official word is tomorrow and we’ll go from there.”
See the video below for Greene’s comments.
Several state-wide news outlets inexplicably declared Greene the winner late Tuesday. The Valley Indy left additional messages late Tuesday for Greene and his campaign. An e‑mail was sent to Conroy at about 1 a.m. Wednesday seeking clarification.
Greene’s camp sent an e‑mail to the Valley Indy Wednesday at about 8:20 a.m. showing Conroy ahead, with a tally of 5,136 to 5070.
The Valley Gazette also reported Conroy the winner, by a 5,141 – 5,083 vote.
The CT Mirror noted the race was in limbo.
Conroy and about 40 supporters gathered at Hot Tamale on Route 67 in Seymour Tuesday to post results. After the numbers showed a narrow victory for Conroy, the place erupted in cheers.
Conroy took about 25 minutes to hug and thank each supporter in the room, including her parents. A niece called from Alaska to check the results.
During a victory speech that lasted about seven minutes, she said she had ducked into the ladies’ room earlier to shed tears, under the impression she had lost the race. Her mood changed by about 9:30 p.m.
Conroy said she’s ready and willing to return to the state capitol.
“I’ll go up to Hartford. We’re going to have budget battles, issues. We all know that. I’ll be in the grind. But it’s the people in this 105th,” she said.
Click play on the video above to see a portion of Conroy’s comments.
Tuesday’s match was a rematch of two years ago, when Greene, then the challenger, defeated Conroy, then the incumbent.
In a speech to his supporters, gathered at Jimmies Place in Seymour, Greene admitted it didn’t look promising.
“Obviously we’re down,” Greene told his supporters, thanking them for their hard work. “We ran a very hard campaign. We ran a very clean campaign.”
The mood at the bar was somber but Greene tried to stay positive.
“This is a celebration of a great campaign we ran very, very well,” Greene.
Unofficial results show Conroy winning every voting district except Beacon Falls and the polling place at Seymour Middle School.
The 105th State House District covers Seymour, Beacon Falls and, for the first time this year, a sliver of Derby.
Greene’s campaign had been hoping Derby absentee ballots might turn the tide Tuesday, but late word from Derby City Hall had Greene losing the Derby absentees by a vote of 30 – 17.
Greene defeated Conroy by 109 votes during their last go-around.
“I’m surprised it was as close as it was two years ago,” Seymour First Selectman Kurt Miller, a Republican, said Tuesday night. “Until we have the final numbers, it’s hard to make any definite statements.”
But, Miller said the race might have been impacted by support for President Barack Obama.
“Obviously the president has a substantial draw for his party,” Miller said. “I think the presidential election helped all Democrats to be honest.”
