(
MyFoxBoston.com) – Republican Charlie Baker passed Democrat Martha Coakley in the race for governor, but Coakley refused to concede Tuesday night.
Baker addressed the crowd at his election night headquarters, saying that he spoke with Coakley and that she preferred to wait until Wednesday morning to see the final count.
"It's politics and every vote counts," Baker said. "That's the way it works folks, and that's the way it should work."
He went on to say, in this election, every vote counted and "we'll see what happens in the morning." He also took the time to thank his supporters and everyone who helped throughout the campaign.
Baker acknowledged that Coakley put her heart and soul into the race, and refused to let the crowd boo her.
The Associated Press called the race just before 1 a.m. Wednesday, saying Baker will take over as the 72nd governor of the Bay State. This marks a return for Republicans to the state's governorship after Mitt Romney's departure in 2006 ended 16 straight years of GOP stewardship.
Winning Massachusetts is significant for Baker. Considered a Democratic stronghold – thanks in part to almost 2.8 million more registered Democrats than Republicans in the last election cycle, according to the Secretary of the Commonwealth's figures – Baker overcame sizable opposition to beat Coakley, who suffered her second straight state-wide defeat after a failed bid to become senator in 2010. A number of well-known national Democrats came to campaign on Coakley's behalf, including First Lady Michelle Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
Baker, who lost in the 2010 gubernatorial race against Deval Patrick, will now succeed the two-term governor as he transitions out of office. He campaigned on a number of key fiscal issues, including welfare reform while pledging to reduce taxes.
He picked up key endorsements from around the state, including the Boston Globe, which hadn't endorsed a Republican in 20 years, all while overcoming missteps on the campaign trail, including a potentially embarrassing moment in which he referred to FOX 25's Sharman Sacchetti as “sweetheart.”
Baker served as the state's secretary of Health and Human Services under Gov. William Weld and then as secretary of Administration and Finance under Govs. Weld and Paul Cellucci before transitioning to the private sector. He was the CEO of Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates and then Harvard Pilgrim Health Care.
Coakley called Baker on Wednesday morning to concede.
