Virginia Republican Senate candidate Ed Gillespie conceded defeat Friday to incumbent Democrat Mark Warner, three days after the election produced a surprising near-upset.
The Republican had previously held out hope that a recount would have enabled him to edge out Warner, a popular former governor. Virginia law allows challengers to request one if the final vote margin is within 1 percent. The official tally gave put Warner ahead, 49.1 to 48.4 percent, with a lead of 16,000 votes out of more than 2.1 million cast.
But Gillespie said that after his campaign staff and lawyers poured over the latest data, they concluded that the odds were just too slim. “It would be wrong to put my fellow virginians through a recount when in my head and in my heart, I know that a change in the outcome is not possible,” he said in a press conference Friday afternoon.
Warner’s near-defeat was one of the biggest surprises of the election. He had often held double-digit leads in the polls and few thought Gillespie, a first-time candidate, had a chance to win.
Instead, Gillespie took an early lead in the returns and produced a nailbiter, though later returns gave Warner the edge and he declared victory that night. Gillespie officially conceded in a call to Warner early Friday morning.
In a statement, Warner commended him on “a hard-fought campaign” and wished “him and his family well. I am sure Ed Gillespie will continue to contribute to the debate in Virginia and the nation.”
Gillespie was wistful at times in his concession speech, noting that he started the race 29 points down in the polls, but that by the end a shift of 9,000 votes could have changed the outcome.
“This was obviously a hard-fought race. I am proud of the campaign we ran and I loved every minute of it,” he said, before quipping: “Well, maybe not this one so much.”
