Conservative Favorite Allen West Loses FL Congressional Race

In a nail-biting race to the finish, prominent Florida Congressman and rockstar of the GOP Allen West appears to have lost his re-election bid. NBC called the race for Democratic freshman Patrick Murphy, rendering a harsh blow to the Tea Party.

After 97 percent of votes were counted, Murphy claimed victory in Florida's 18th District by less than a mere 1,000 votes. The relatively unknown Democrat, who owns a construction company, campaigned on being the polar opposite or the Tea Party favorite.

According to the Palm Beach Post, at $23 million collectively, theirs was one of the most expensive House races in the country.

Below is TheBlaze's real-time congressional and presidential race map: