New Haven Independent

Supporters packed into a Hawaiian-themed New Haven club as results came in Tuesday, crossing fingers for an anti-incumbent “tidal wave” to sweep DeStefano, a Democrat, into the state’s highest office.

It didn’t come. The mayor remained upbeat, thanking running mate Mary Messina Glassman and the many hometown supporters who’ve been with him all along. “This campaign was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but by far, it’s given far more to me than I’ve given to it.”

“The campaign ends, but our values, our ideals shine more brightly than before,” he said in a concession speech shortly after 10 p.m. He brought the focus back to his message: Supporting working families.

The vote sent Rell into her first full term as governor. Green Party candidate Cliff Thornton, who made drug legalization a major part of his campaign, had garnered 1.37 percent of the vote with 308 of 778 precincts reporting. Rell had 61 percent to DeStefano’s 37 percent at that point.

Below the tikki torches of the Hula Hanks club, SEIU President Paul Filson (pictured at right) cheered along with fellow union leaders, state police and City Hall celebs.

Like the DeStefano campaign, Filson said the nationally watched Senate race between Ned Lamont and U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman had overshadowed the campaign. In August, union support proved vital in helping DeStefano squeak out a win over Stamford Mayor Dan Malloy in a heated Democratic primary. DeStefano emptied $4 million in campaign coffers on the primary race alone, starting the general election race as a penniless underdog.

“The Lamont-Lieberman race took a lot of the air out of the governor’s race — we had a hard time motivating our members after the primary,” said Filson. While union supporters felt they “owned” DeStefano’s pre-primary race, the feeling wasn’t the same backing Greenwich millionaire Lamont. “Our members didn’t sort of feel like it was their campaign.”

Up against a wildly popular governor who brought a new face to the governorship in 2004 after former Gov. John Rowland resigned in a corruption scandal, the DeStefano camp had a tall task. While Rell kept a low campaign profile and went about her duties at the state Capitol, DeStefano and crew crisscrossed the state with the “working families” message, touting universal health care, property tax reform and universal pre-K.

They trumpeted Rell’s mini-scandals — the Moody ethics problem; the mini Big Dig on I-84, not disclosing pending energy rate hikes — and launched TV ads attacking her for lack of leadership. They even summoned the head of President Bush in one ad, in an effort to reap votes from nationwide anti-Bush sentiment.

Rell sat tight, quietly maintaining a comfortable lead, and touting her accomplishments. She had raised nearly $3.9 million by the end of October; DeStefano’s camp had raised nearly $5.9 million, most of which was spent infighting against Malloy.

In the end, no tactic proved powerful enough to topple Rell’s image as a sweet “caretaker,” the power of her incumbency, nor the strength of her touted accomplishments, including sweeping campaign finance reform and saving jobs at the Groton sub base.

“The last analysis is that popularity is hard to overcome,” said outgoing Lt. Gov. Kevin Sullivan, who’s been with DeStefano throughout his campaign. As for his own career, Sullivan didn’t have clear plans yet, except to stay active and involved in state government.

The next step after the long-shot bid for Democratic governorship? State Democrats need to get to work on an “articulated position for the next year,” to include property tax reform and universal health care, said Sullivan. Democrats neglected to do so until DeStefano’s campaign, Sullivan said: “John did this almost single-handedly.”