Ex-Red Sox Manager Bobby Valentine Cries Conspiracy After Losing Election

Former Boston Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine lost the mayoral race in Stamford, Conn., but he isn’t going down quietly.

Valentine, who announced in May he would run as an independent, lost Tuesday’s election to Democrat Caroline Simmons. The 71-year-old conceded in a tweet but wasn’t as polite when he addressed supporters, according to Joe Erwin of the New York Daily News.

The Stamford native alleged there were issues with absentee ballots and people voting twice. He did not concede until midnight in a race that Erwin said was “unexpectedly close.”

“Someone says maybe I’m supposed to thank the media for all the lousy coverage that they gave us or maybe even compliment (Simmons’ team) for the campaign they ran but I can’t do that with an open heart and a clear mind, so I’m just going to say the campaign is over,” he told supporters.

Valentine managed the Red Sox in 2012, leading them to a 69-93 season — a year after he served as Stamford’s health and public safety director, according to the Associated Press. As of May, he owned a sports bar in Stamford and was working as the athletic director at Sacred Heart University.