It was a close race, but the votes have been counted and Democrat Gary McDowell conceded the 1st Congressional district race to incumbent Republican Congressman Dan Benishek.
McDowell conceded the election last night.
By last count, Benishek and McDowell were separated by less than 1 percent of the vote.
In a statement, the McDowell campaign said a majority of the county boards of canvassers in the district completed counting the votes confirmed the outcome of the race for Congress in Northern Michigan.
From the statement issued last night:
“I am proud of the campaign we ran to fight for good-paying jobs, protect Medicare and defend our Great Lakes, “said Gary McDowell. “I called Congressman Benishek tonight to congratulate him on his successful campaign and wish him luck in his next term in Congress.” Though volunteers in every county will continue to observe the canvassing of ballots in each county, new results are unlikely to change the outcome of the race in any significant way. Congressman Benishek’s margin of victory will likely continue to hold at about half of a percent of the vote. “With only six tenths of the vote separate me and Congressman Benishek, we felt it was our duty to ensure that every vote was counted,” McDowell continued. “That has been done to our satisfaction and we believe that every vote has or will be counted in this election.” “I want to thank every voter in Northern Michigan for taking part in this critical election and give my heartfelt thanks to everyone who worked so hard on this campaign,” said McDowell.
