Republican Keith Fimian will concede defeat to Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly in Northern Virginia’s 11th Congressional District on Tuesday, foregoing a recount of the vote that Fimian could have requested, a source familiar with the candidate’s decision confirmed Monday.
A week after Election Day, Connolly was leading Fimian by 981 votes out of the 225,000 cast, a narrow enough margin to qualify for a recount once the vote is officially certified by the state Board of Elections on Nov. 22.
Fimian is scheduled to make an announcement Tuesday, but his campaign provided no additional details.
Connolly had claimed victory and a second term in Congress on Election Night when the margin was only about half of the unofficial final count, but Fimian had never conceded.
Connolly was the one bright spot Democrats had in Virginia. Three other Democratic lawmakers, including two freshmen like Connolly, were defeated by Republican challengers last week. – Examiner staff
