UPDATE: Freitas issues apparent concession, then says he hasn't conceded
Table of Contents
Republican Nick Freitas, who challenged incumbent Democratic Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger for the Seventh District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, issued an apparent concession on Facebook Thursday, then later said he wasn't conceding.
Spanberger claimed victory last week, and the Associated Press called the race for her Sunday. Vote totals show Spanberger having won by 8,270 votes out of more than 453,000 cast in the race.
“Since Election Day our team has been observing the post-election canvasses, provisional ballot hearings, and working to ensure that every legally cast vote is counted,” Freitas wrote initially. “There have been many irregularities this cycle, and unfortunately we will probably not have access to all of the data we need for some months. The practical result is that the outcome of the election will probably not change here in the 7th.”
In his message, Freitas suggested that his supporters should not “stop investigating to ensure the integrity of our elections,” though he didn’t provide any specifics about what he meant. “To all of the people who have offered to assist in further investigations or the financing of a recount I am asking you to send those resources to those areas where they can have the greatest impact for the country.”
His message included a link to the Georgia Battleground fund, which is raising money to support that state’s two incumbent Republican Senators, David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, both of whom are facing runoff elections in January.
Later, he clarified his message, saying that he would not concede but instead would fight to investigate the results of the race with his own money rather than asking supporters to contribute to the efforts.
"I have not conceded," he wrote. "I have not stopped fighting or investigating the results. I have had many people ask to financially assist a legal challenge or a recount. The problem is we don't currently have enough data to support one. So your funds would be better spent assisting the Senate candidates and presidents [sic] efforts in Georgia and that is what I am encouraging people to do."
