SCRANTON -- Supporters remained at Gene Talerico's election headquarters in Scranton late into the night Tuesday. Talerico says he won't throw in the towel just yet.
Talerico spoke to his supporters earlier in the evening. He said he is not conceding, even though Democratic candidate Mark Powell had already declared victory.
Talerico, the Republican nominee, told Newswatch 16 there were several reasons why he was not ready to admit defeat. He said he received information that there were voting machines in the county that were not able to be counted. The Lackawanna County Board of Elections could not confirm that claim to Newswatch 16.
Talerico said there were outlying communities that were not counted yet and he called the margin between himself and Powell "razor thin."
Talerico defeated the sitting district attorney, Shane Scanlon, in a hotly-contested primary. He served for 24 years as an assistant district attorney in Lackawanna County and in addition, was a special assistant U.S. Attorney for Pennsylvania’s Middle District.
Talerico was passed over for the D.A.’s job when Andy Jarbola was elected judge. He had supervised Scanlon for years and resigned when Scanlon became his boss. Talerico trounced Scanlon in the primary, winning 61 percent of the Republican vote.