SPRINGFIELD, Va. (AP) -- Republican Ed Gillespie has conceded the Virginia Senate race to the Democratic incumbent, Mark Warner.
Republican candidate Ed Gillespie conceded the race for U.S. Senate in Virginia to incumbent Democratic Sen. Mark Warner. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Gillespie says he won't seek a recount in the tight race even though state law entitles him to one.
The latest numbers from the State Board of Elections show Warner leading by more than 16,000 votes, or nearly a percentage point, out of more than 2 million ballots cast.
Warner has 49 percent of the vote, Gillespie has 48 percent and Libertarian Robert Sarvis has 2 percent.
Warner is one of Virginia's most popular politicians and had been expected to handily win a second term.
But Gillespie - a former Republican National Committee chairman - rode a wave of support for GOP candidates nationwide, and almost knocked Warner out of the Senate.