Democrat Adam Frisch conceded to Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert (CO) Friday morning, effectively ending the race for Colorado’s Third Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.
After the race was expected to head to an automatic recount, the Democrat conceded to Boebert, citing that the expected recount was unlikely to change the outcome of the race after he was trailing by roughly 550 votes.
During a video call with reporters, Frisch reportedly said he called the congresswoman to offer his concession while adding that “the likelihood of this recount changing more than a handful of votes is very small” as the race appeared to be headed towards a recount.
“We are not asking for this recount. It is one that the citizens of Colorado mandate through our election system,” he said, turning supporters away from donating to his campaign for the effort. “Please save your money for your groceries, your rent, your children,” he added.
Frisch, a former Aspen City councilman, said he was proud of the campaign he ran and criticized his own party for eroding “the trust of rural Americans.”
“Democrats have abandoned rural America and working-class America for the last many years,” Frisch said. “Republicans have had a monopoly over the backbone of this country.”
Frisch — recently accused of being the target of a blackmail attempt concerning surveillance footage of him showing up at a storage unit facility where a local business owner alleged he was caught having an affair — was losing to Boebert by 551 voters Thursday night, when the race appeared to be headed towards a recount.
As Breitbart News wrote Thursday night, nine days after Election Day, the congresswoman only led by 551 votes; she had 163,758 votes (50.08 percent) to the Democrat’s 163,207 voters (49.92 percent), with 99 percent reported.
Colorado law triggers a mandatory recount if the margin is half a percentage point or less, and according to the secretary of state’s office, the recount must be ordered by December 5 and must be completed by December 13. The losing candidate, whoever it may be, can request a recount at their own expense. The request from a candidate must also be made by December 6 and must be completed by December 15.
With the recount still likely to happen under state law, the Democrat’s concession effectively closes out the race, giving Boebert a second term in office. In the next Congress, Boebert will be in the majority after Republicans won at least the 218 seats needed to take control of the House.
Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jbliss@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter @JacobMBliss.