Media Credit: Jonathan Meter epublican gubernatorial candidate Lynn Swann embraces running mate Jim Mathews before conceding the race. Swann was handily beaten by Democratic incumbent Gov. Ed Rendell. [Click to enlarge]

PITTSBURGH - Before a sparse crowd in a half-empty ballroom, Lynn Swann conceded the Pennsylvania governor's race to incumbent Ed Rendell last night.

Swann took the stage at about 11:20 p.m. after being introduced by his running mate, Jim Matthews.

He spoke to his crowd of supporters, admitting that "we lost the battle," and that he is "not accustomed to losing."

However, the businessman and NFL Hall of Famer attempted to frame his campaign in the context of a larger reform movement that aims to change the political culture in Harrisburg, declaring that "we must continue to voice our concerns" to promote a stronger economy, lower property taxes and an end to corruption.

But Pennsylvanians seemed to disagree that Swann was the best man to do that. Rendell's victory was declared early in the evening.

While the Republican challenger had never held an elected office, he recently served as chairman of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. He campaigned on financial accountability and hiring more law enforcement, among other issues.

Swann supporters at the Hilton hotel in Pittsburgh, where Swann was headquartered last night, were noticeably upset at the concession, with several of the younger campaigners silently crying during Swann's 20-minute-long remarks.

But Peter Mastracci, a junior at the University of Pittsburgh who went door-to-door for the campaign, admitted that the loss wasn't as bad as it could have been because, "on some level, we were all expecting it."

Though Swann and Rendell started out neck-and-neck earlier this campaign season, Rendell had drastically pulled away in the past few months. A poll released by Muhlenberg College Thursday, for example, found Swann trailing Rendell by 25 percentage points.

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