Aide says Reed weighing write-in bid in November; mayor remains mum - PennLive.com:by JOHN LUCIEW, Of The Patriot-News
Thursday May 28, 2009, 4:25 PM
Mayor Stephen R. Reed remained mum on his future plans even as two campaign aides debated his next political move.
Randy King, Reed's campaign manager, confirmed today that Reed, urged on by supporters, is weighing a write-in bid in the Nov. 3 general election to win an eighth term. King said both the mayor's office and his campaign staff have been 'inundated' with calls, letters and personal pleas that Reed run in the fall.
Currently, the general election would pit Democrat Linda Thompson, who out-polled Reed by 1,000 votes, against GOP newcomer Nevin Mindlin, who bumped off Reed's Republican write-in effort. But King noted that only 25 percent of Harrisburg's 28,000 registered voters went to the polls in the primary, leaving the general election 'wide open.'
Democratic candidate for Harrisburg mayor Linda Thompson
Republican candidate for Harrisburg mayor Nevin Mindlin
'That silent electorate has been awakened since the results last Tuesday,' King said. Reed 'is currently looking at a number of different options, including conceding. But there is growing sentiment that a write-in campaign should be done and all the pieces are in place." However, another Reed campaign aide, Fred Clark, said that he spoke recently with Reed, who Clark said had "no regrets, no anger, no bitterness and nothing but best wishes for Linda Thompson." Clark described Reed's silence in wake of last week's primary defeat as "letting the dust settle." "He respects the will of the people and what is in the best interest of the city," Clark said. "I don't honestly believe that he is contemplating anything but what his role is in doing what is in the best interest of the city."
Clark added that the city should wait to hear directly from Reed, not his surrogates, regarding the mayor's next move. "I think the only person that can speak for the mayor at this point in time is the mayor himself," Clark said.
King said Reed, who is also weighing what King called "lucrative" private sector job offers, might not have a final decision on his future for two or three weeks. King acknowledged that mounting a write-in campaign would be the most difficult route to victory. "It is absolutely the most difficult mountain to climb," King said. "If we win, it would undoubtedly be one of the biggest political stories of the century in this state and city. But that would be getting ahead of ourselves, and we're not going to do that, unlike some candidates in this election."
Despite repeated requests for interviews, Reed has been unavailable for comment since his primary concession speech on the evening of May 19. For her part, Thompson is on record welcoming a Reed re-match.
