Election 2014: U.S. Senate Race Ends as Gillespie Concedes

Republican Ed Gillespie conceded Friday in the U.S. Senate race against incumbent Sen. Mark Warner, according to The Associated Press.

The race never appeared particularly competitive, but Gillespie surprised many political observers with a strong showing. He was ahead in vote counts through most of election night, before Warner pulled ahead as Northern Virginia’s heavily Democratic voting districts started to come in.

Warner had claimed victory late Tuesday night, but Gillespie waited several days to concede as final votes were counted.

Poll analyst Nate Silver at Five Thirty Eight notes that Gillespie’s chances in poll before election day were less than 0.5 percent. Among the factors for the surprisingly tight race may have been a low voter turnout compared to other election cycles in Virginia.

As of Friday morning, the Virginia Department of Elections had recorded a 16,540 vote lead for Warner, out of nearly 2.2 million votes recorded.

• See more results at the Virginia Department of Elections.

Virginia law allows a recount if the difference is less than 1 percent, but turning a race in a recount typically requires a much slimmer margin.

Often painting himself as an independent voice in Washington, Warner frequently noted his GOP endorsements and the issues where he has disagreed with President Barack Obama.

Gillespie’s challenge had been considered a long-shot, but the Republican had closed the gap in recent weeks. In one ad, Gillespie embraced Warner’s bi-partisan cred, but claimed, “Washington has changed Mark Warner.”