Virginia Sen. Mark Warner was expected to win re-election handily in his race against former RNC Chairman Ed Gillespie. That was Tuesday—before people actually started casting ballots. Amid the Democratic bloodbath on Election Day that saw the party surrender seat after seat to the GOP, the exit polls in Virginia were unexpectedly tight with the incumbent Warner leading by a mere percentage point.
Warner declared victory on election night and said he was moving on. Gillespie wasn’t so sure. On Friday, however, with the State Board of Elections showing Warner still ahead by some 16,000 votes—of more than 2 million cast—Gillespie decided to throw in the towel. Gillespie conceded the race, even though if the margin of victory is less than 1 percent, he’s entitled to recount—that he would have to pay for himself.
