District 9 Sen. Dietsch Concedes During Ballot Recount: Report

BEDFORD, NH – New Hampshire Republican State Senate candidate Denise Ricciardi’s victory in a closely contested District 9 race has been confirmed after Democratic incumbent Sen. Jeanne Dietsch conceded on Tuesday, according to published reports citing confirmation by the New Hampshire Secretary of State's office.

Dietsch challenged the outcome of last week’s election in which Ricciardi was declared the unofficial winner in a race decided by just more than 400 votes. Dietsch requested a recount, which began Tuesday before the process was called off about half-way through, WMUR reported Tuesday afternoon.

Dietsch was seeking re-election to her seat representing District 9, which includes Bedford. Dietsch said before last week’s election that she was at a great disadvantage in the district, where Bedford — which leans heavily to the Republican side – makes up nearly 40 percent of the district. In a statement following the election, she seemed to concede defeat saying in a statement that it "has been an honor to serve District 9."

With all precincts reporting last week, Ricciardi was declared the winner with 17,920 votes compared to 17,508 for Dietsch, which led her to request Tuesday's recount. The District 9 Senate race was one of 16 throughout New Hampshire that faced a recount.