Democrat Adam Frisch conceded on Friday to Rep. Lauren Boebert (R) in the race for Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District, saying that an expected recount was unlikely to change the outcome of the election.
In a video call with reporters, Frisch said that he had called Boebert to offer his concession. He said that while the race appeared to be headed for a mandatory recount, “the likelihood of this recount changing more than a handful of votes is very small.”
“We are not asking for this recount. It is one that the citizens of Colorado mandate through our election system,” he said, telling supporters not to donate to his campaign for the recount effort.
“Please save your money for your groceries, your rent, your children,” he said.
In his remarks, Frisch, a former Aspen city councilman, said he was proud of the campaign he had run in a district that former President Trump carried just two years ago. But he also 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,” he said. “Republicans have had a monopoly over the backbone of this country.”
The race for Colorado’s 3rd District appeared headed for a recount late Thursday and early Friday, with the latest vote totals showing Boebert leading Frisch by just 0.16 percentage points, or 551 votes.
Under state law, an automatic recount is triggered if the margin in a race is half a percentage point or less of the top vote-getter’s total. Once the recount begins, it could delay the final outcome of the race for days or possibly even weeks.
While that recount still appears likely to happen, Frisch’s concession effectively brings the race to a close, setting Boebert up for a second term in the House.
Republicans captured the House majority this week, winning the 218 seats needed to take control of the lower chamber. Still, the GOP is poised to have a much smaller majority than Republicans had hoped for after Democrats over performed in a number of key races.