WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Ed Gillespie on Friday conceded the tight U.S. Senate race in Virginia to Mark Warner, three days after his Democratic rival had claimed victory.
At a news conference in Springfield, Virginia, Gillespie said he had called Warner to concede and thanked his campaign workers and family.
"We could not have gotten this close in this election, if we didn't take our positive message to voters who haven't traditionally supported Republicans," said Gillespie, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee.
Warner had been heavily favored to be elected to a second term but found himself in a surprisingly tight race in an election where Republicans took control of the Senate.
The state Elections Board said that with 99.96 percent of votes counted, Warner had 49.12 percent and Gillespie had 48.36 percent, with Warner leading by 16,540 ballots. Libertarian candidate Robert Sarvis had 2.43 percent.
(Reporting by Susan Heavey and Ian Simpson; Editing by Jim Loney)