A hushed silence fell over the supporters of incumbent Student Government President Harry S. Truman gathered in the Eric Friedheim Quadrangle earlier today, as rumors spread that New York State Governor Thomas E. Dewey, a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs, had defeated President Truman, a junior in the School of International Service, by nearly 250 votes.
President Truman, reached at his office on the second level of the Mary Graydon Center, vowed not to concede until all votes had been counted.
In calm tones, he urged his supporters to take comfort, saying "only a small percentage of returns from my traditional base of support in McDowell and Hughes Halls have been tallied, and I expect to come back and win with a clear mandate."
Governor Dewey's supporters, gathered in the Letts-Anderson Quad, provided a cautiously optimistic alternative to Truman's guarded stoicism.
Laszlo Kovacs, a senior in the College of Arts and Science, said that while he believes the rumors of Dewey's impending victory, he and other Dewey supporters "aren't ready to break out the Chipotle and champagne."
Michelle Poiccard, a freshman in the School of International Service who also supports Dewey, added that "Truman has a lot of fight in him, as we all saw in 'the Truman Dance,'" referring to President Truman's now-banned music video.
Dewey's campaign manager, SPA sophomore Chocolate Biscotti, reiterated several campaign points, calling for tax cuts, a reworking of immigration policy and a continuation of the Student Government's "Be" Campaign.
As a slight rain began to fall on campus, some of Truman's supporters returned to their dorms, with others pledging to remain outside until one candidate is officially declared the winner.
Jean Seberg, a freshman in the School of Communication who helped direct "The Truman Dance," was among this group, saying, "What this university needs is a steady hand, clear guiding principles and more cowbell, and I intend to stay here until the Board of Elections certifies that that is what the students have asked for"
