Campaign Outsider

So I woke up Election Day and here’s what I found in my emailbox:  ”Mayor Tom Menino is now following you on Twitter!”

My first instinct, of course, was “that can’t be good.”

But then I thought, “it must be because I’m following him on Twitter.”

Except I’m not.

Anyway, with or without me following him, Tom Menino cruised to a fifth term in Tuesday’s election.

(As of 1:33  Wednesday morning, the Boston Globe had yet to replace Tuesday’s edition on its website, while the Boston Herald had this splashed across the top of its homepage: “Mayor Menino clinches historic fifth term.”)

By the numbers:

Menino garnered roughly 57 percent of the 109,000 votes to Flaherty’s 42 percent, according to unofficial numbers posted by the city last night.

So it’s time to clean out the 2009 Boston Mayoral Election file.

Item #1:

In the runup to Election Day, the hardworking staff at Campaign Outsider predicted a two-to-one winning margin for Menino.

The hardworking staff was obviously wrong.

Item #2:

Stick “Menino fifth term” into the Newsletron, and the first story you get (at 1:45 Wednesday morning) is this New York Times piece:

It was the toughest re-election fight of Mr. Menino’s career. But in the end, his name recognition and impressive political machine, fortified over the years by his die-hard devotion to constituent services, trumped Mr. Flaherty’s efforts. Already the longest serving mayor in Boston history, he sealed his latest victory by mobilizing an army of volunteers, city workers and union members on Tuesday to get out the vote across the city.

Translation: Menino’s fear recognition and arm-twisting political machine “sealed his latest victory.”

Official Campaign Outsider Prediction®: Tom Menino will regret ever running for a fifth term.

Discuss among yourselves.