FORT LAUDERDALE – On Tuesday morning, U.S. Rep. Allen West conceded to Democrat Patrick Murphy, ending one of the most expensive races for the U.S. House.
“While there are certainly still inaccuracies in the results, and the actions of the St. Lucie County and Palm Beach County Supervisors of Elections rightly raise questions in my mind and for many voters, after much analysis and this past weekend’s recount in St. Lucie County, our legal team does not believe there are enough over-counted, undercounted or fraudulent votes to change the outcome of the election,” West said.
West’s bid to challenge the 18th Congressional District seat resulted in backfire for the GOP freshman in his candidacy for the redistricted House seat.
A recount of the November 6 election results held in Port St. Lucie found Murphy winning by over 1,900 votes, a margin that was wide enough to trump an automatic recount. GOP officials claimed irregularities in early voting, and requested the initial recount.
West, a first-term lawmaker and tea party ally was one of two black Republicans serving in the U.S. House. In the race for the 18th district seat, West’s campaign raised over $17 million, more than four times that of Murphy.
West was an early favorite of the Right. In a 2011 email circulated to House members, West referred to U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz as “the most vile, unprofessional, and despicable member of the U.S. House of Representatives,” and said that she was “not a Lady.”
West’s concession means Republicans hold a 234-200 seat majority in the U.S. House. The still-unresolved race for U.S. Rep. Mike McIntyre’s (D-N.C.) district—in which McIntyre appears to have defeated his Republican challenger by a razor-thin margin—may be headed for its own recount.
