State's Only African-American Senator Loses
Wilkerson Loses Rematch
POSTED: 10:46 pm EDT September 16,
2008
UPDATED: 12:41 am EDT September 17,
2008
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BOSTON -- In a huge upset Tuesday night, the state’s lone African-American state senator was defeated in a hotly contested election in Boston.However, Sen. Dianne Wilkerson refused to concede defeat after results showed challenger Sonia Chang-Diaz with a 1 percent, or 228-vote, victory.
Wilkerson Reacts To Defeat"The margin is so thin. I could be coming to you and saying legitimately that we are not done and we are going to fight. Whatever happens tomorrow does happen," she told supporters.The defeat appears to end Wilkerson's 15 years in office.Wilkerson has suffered from a series of self-inflicted blunders.Most recently she agreed to pay a $10,000 fine and forgo about $30,000 in debts she said her political committee owed her after acknowledging she failed to keep proper campaign records from 2000 to 2004.The primary was a rematch between Wilkerson and Chang-Diaz who fought a tight race two years ago. Wilkerson then edged Chang-Diaz by six percent after Wilkerson had to run a write-in campaign because she failed to get enough signatures to qualify for the ballot.Wilkerson had received the endorsement of Gov. Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino.
Wilkerson Reacts To Defeat"The margin is so thin. I could be coming to you and saying legitimately that we are not done and we are going to fight. Whatever happens tomorrow does happen," she told supporters.The defeat appears to end Wilkerson's 15 years in office.Wilkerson has suffered from a series of self-inflicted blunders.Most recently she agreed to pay a $10,000 fine and forgo about $30,000 in debts she said her political committee owed her after acknowledging she failed to keep proper campaign records from 2000 to 2004.The primary was a rematch between Wilkerson and Chang-Diaz who fought a tight race two years ago. Wilkerson then edged Chang-Diaz by six percent after Wilkerson had to run a write-in campaign because she failed to get enough signatures to qualify for the ballot.Wilkerson had received the endorsement of Gov. Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino.Copyright 2009 by TheBostonChannel.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
