End of the Line for Lhota

End of the Line for Lhota
Joe Lhota gives his concession speech in New York City, Nov. 5, 2013. (Seth Wenig/AP)
Kristen Meriwether
11/5/2013
Updated:
11/6/2013

NEW YORK—It did not take long, but Republican Joe Lhota faced the inevitable Tuesday night, conceding victory to his Democratic counterpart Bill de Blasio in the New York City mayor’s race.

Lhota called de Blasio to concede at 9:29 p.m., shortly before the Associated Press declared de Blasio’s victory.

“It was a good fight and a fight worth having,” Lhota said in a concession speech.

Lhota trailed de Blasio in the polls by 40 or more points the entire general election cycle.

Lhota is the first Republican to lose a mayor’s race in 20 years in the city, breaking a long-standing streak, which will usher in change at City Hall in the next four years.

After turning in an inspiring performance as head of the MTA during Superstorm Sandy, Lhota was encouraged to run for the city’s top spot. His favorability among New Yorkers was high, and despite a crowded Democratic field, Lhota seemed to have a legitimate shot at continuing the Republican dominance at City Hall.

Lhota was no stranger to City Hall—he served as a deputy mayor to Rudy Giuliani—but his lack of experience as a mayoral candidate hurt his chances at victory. Lhota’s campaign lacked direction, charisma, and a firm vision for the future. Lhota waited until several weeks before the election to release a policy book.

It did not help that he faced a grueling primary against billionaire John Catsimatidis in a race that was overcast in the press by the drama in the Democratic primary. Catsimatidis, who became known as “J-Cats,” had outlandish ideas and poor public speaking skills, but pumped millions of his own personal wealth into the campaign.

This kept Lhota on his toes fighting off a barrage of false claims and rarely focusing on how to defeat a formidable Democratic opponent. It also drained campaign funds he needed to challenge de Blasio in the general election.

Ever the optimist, Lhota never wavered from his belief he would win the election, and did not plan for his next move. His old job at the MTA has been filled and it is highly unlikely he would be given a post in de Blasio’s administration.

He did not mention in his concession speech where he may land next or if he would run again in 2017.