More than a half-hour after it became clear that state Sen. Vince Fumo had won reelection, his opponent reflected on the good, the bad and the ugly of the primary.
The campaign, Dr. James Tayoun’s first, offered a number of learning experiences, said the candidate, who sought to end Fumo’s 26-year reign in office.
The Democratic incumbents in three local state House races also beat back primary challenges.
"We fought the good fight," Tayoun said. "Considering that we started from the ground up and relied solely on volunteers, I think we did a lot of good in just three months’ time."
His sobering loss to Fumo by nearly a 2-1 margin prompted the challenger to consider what he would do differently in any future runs for office.
"We certainly would need more people. There’s just no way we could get to all of the polls today," Tayoun noted. "That, and we’d definitely need more money."
The doctor was estimated to have had $300,000 in funding for his campaign.
While he said he was touched by the number of people who came out to support him, Tayoun added he was shocked by what he called negative advertising in the race.
"I didn’t expect all of that," Tayoun remarked. "Heck, I didn’t even think they would pay attention to me in the first place."
In spite of his loss, the candidate said he was glad he helped spur a little debate.
"We got people thinking about the issues again, and made the incumbent realize that you have to get into the neighborhoods more often to see and hear all of the people," Tayoun said.
Fumo’s campaign manager, Phil Press, said the primary victory was the voters’ way of showing their appreciation for the job the senator has done in his 26 years of service.
"Vince has created schools and jobs and worked tirelessly for the community throughout his time in office," Press said. "The voters realized his track record spoke for itself and, tonight, they let their voices be heard."
The senator himself was unavailable for comment.
Other winners, like state Rep. Bill Keller, quickly turned from celebrating to planning their legislative agenda.
"Of course, we’re very happy tonight, and we appreciated and enjoyed the challenge — that’s what democracy is all about," said the incumbent, who scored a resounding victory over community activist Mark Squilla. "But now we want to focus on creating new jobs, addressing school violence, getting more scholarships to South Philly kids and a ton of other issues. We have a full plate and a lot to do."
Squilla, a first-time candidate who had waged an aggressive campaign, was fully ready to support Keller as the Democratic victor, according to his spokesperson, Rocco Palmo.
"Mark wants to work together with Rep. Keller to make South Philly the best place it can be," Palmo said. "It’s time to leave partisan bickering behind and embrace a shared vision of a better future for everyone down here."
Around 11 p.m. Tuesday, Bella Vista’s Sheila Ballen, the challenger for the 175th State House District seat, was satisfied she had done her best, even though she finished with only around 2,000 votes — not enough to beat Democratic incumbent Marie Lederer, who finished with more than 3,300.
"I was proud of the campaign," said Ballen. "We had an organized field campaign, and really benefited from the Review‘s endorsement."
When asked what she will do next, Ballen said with a laugh, "I will finally clean up my house and play with my dog."
But the communications consultant expects to regroup and return to the political arena.
"This will not be the last time you will see me," she said.
While at a campaign party receiving election results, 182nd District challenger Terry Gillen — who ran against incumbent state Rep. Babette Josephs and investment banker Andrew Hohns — said she was pleased with her campaign, despite that she came in a distant third.
"We had a great campaign, and I am proud of the race we had," said Gillen, a veteran of local and state government administrations.
She said her focus will return to her ward leader position and her consulting business.
"I will still push for job creation and economic development," said Gillen. "But I will still need to make some money."
�
By David Gambacorta and Anthony Scafide
