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Brown concedes to McClintock in Calif. race
By ERICA WERNER - Associated Press | ∞
WASHINGTON ---- Democrat Charlie Brown conceded defeat to Republican state Sen. Tom McClintock on Wednesday in their hard-fought race for California's 4th Congressional District House seat.
Brown made the decision a day after counties turned in their final vote tallies to the secretary of state, showing McClintock with a lead of nearly 1,800 votes out of more than 370,000 counted.
Brown could have requested a recount, but McClintock's lead looked insurmountable and the Democrat called his opponent Wednesday to formally bow out.
"The outcome of this election is no longer in question," Brown wrote later in an e-mail to supporters.
"Together, we have transformed the 4th District, and lifted this campaign higher and farther than anyone thought possible," Brown said. "I am proud of the campaign we ran."
Indeed the narrowness of McClintock's win was remarkable in one of California's most conservative districts, where Republicans enjoy a 15 percentage point advantage over Democrats among registered voters. The largely rural 4th Congressional District stretches from Sacramento north to Oregon and east to Nevada, taking in all or parts of nine counties.
Brown came close to beating the incumbent congressman, longtime GOP Rep. John Doolittle, in 2006. Doolittle was under a cloud after being caught up in the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal.
When Doolittle announced his retirement this year and McClintock got into the race, McClintock was viewed as the prohibitive favorite. McClintock, who is being forced by term limits from a state Senate seat in Southern California, is well-known to conservatives throughout California for his unbending views against taxes and government spending.
Brown, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, sought to label McClintock a carpetbagger and career politician. Brown focused on veterans' issues and donated 5 percent of his campaign donations to veterans' charities.
Brown's concession leaves just a couple House races unsettled.
In Virginia, incumbent GOP Rep. Virgil Goode has requested a recount in his narrow loss to Democrat Tom Perriello in the 5th district. In Ohio, the state Supreme Court will consider how to handle thousands of uncounted provisional ballots in the 15th district race between Republican Steve Stivers and Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy. On Saturday, Louisiana will hold elections for two House seats.
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