Republican challenger Ed Gillespie has conceded, clearing the way for incumbent Democrat Mark Warner to be sworn in for a second term as one of Virginia’s two U.S. senators.
Results available immediately after Tuesday’s election showed the two candidates with less than 16,000 votes separating them. Warner declared victory that night while Gillespie waited for local electoral boards to certify results to the Virginia Department of Elections.
The current results available from the department of elections show Warner with 1,071,049 votes (49.12 percent) to Gillespie’s 1,054,509 (48.36 percent). Because less than 1 percent of the vote total separated the candidates, Gillespie could have asked for a recount, however he chose to concede Friday morning.
“I’ve called Mark Warner this morning and to congratulate him on his reelection, to thank him for his public service to our commonwealth and to wish him and his family well,” Gillespie said during a Friday morning news conference.
Warner said in a statement that he commends Gillespie for a “hard-fought campaign.”
“Representing Virginia has been the honor of my life, and I am gratified that the people of the Commonwealth have rehired me for a new term,” Warner said in the statement. “On Tuesday, Virginians sent an unmistakable message both to me and Congress as a whole: end the gridlock and get to work.”
In the Historic Triangle, Gillespie won James City and York counties, while Warner won Williamsburg. Tuesday also saw Republican incumbent Rob Wittman coast to a victory for the U.S. House of Representatives seat representing the Triangle.
Gillespie picked up 14,394 votes (54.39 percent) in James City County to Warner’s 11,566 (43.71 percent) and Sarvis’ 474 (1.79 percent). In York County, he netted 12,139 votes (58.87 percent) to Warner’s 7,971 (38.66 percent) and Sarvis’ 492 (2.39 percent). In Williamsburg, Warner received 2,466 votes (62.96 percent) to Gillespie’s 1,360 (34.72 percent) and Sarvis’ 88 (2.25 percent).
In James City County, Warner won Grove and a small section of the county that borders the City of Williamsburg. Gillespie won much of the rest of the county, scoring wins in precincts that include Kingsmill, Ford’s Colony and Stonehouse.
Gillespie won all of York County except the Magruder precinct, an area that includes neighborhoods off Penniman Road and Merrimac Trail. All of the City of Williamsburg went for Warner.
Warner has represented Virginia in the U.S. Senate since he was first elected in 2008.
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