The Republican candidate for Washington’s 3rd Congressional District conceded defeat Wednesday in a telephone call to his Democratic opponent.
Republican Joe Kent acknowledged his electoral defeat by 2,629 votes out of 319,759 ballots cast. A recount slightly changed vote totals but not the outcome: Democrat Gluesenkamp Perez won 160,314-157,685.
“I promised during the campaign that I would accept the outcome of the election, now definitively determined as the recount has concluded,” Kent said in a statement posted on social media. “This morning, I called my opponent to concede and offer my congratulations on her victory.”
Fox News further reported:
Republican Joe Kent has conceded Washington state’s 3rd Congressional District race to Rep.-elect Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, following the election on Nov. 8.
Kent called his Democratic opponent on the phone Wednesday to concede and offer his congratulations on her victory, he said, as the Columbian reported.
The call came after several counties completed individual machine recounts, a request Kent made, showing he narrowly lost.
“I promised during the campaign that I would accept the outcome of the election, now definitively determined as the recount has concluded,” Kent said in a statement. “This morning, I called my opponent to concede and offer my congratulations on her victory.”
The recount results showed Gluesenkamp Perez received 50.14% of the vote to Kent’s 49.31%.
The recount showed only a minor difference from the Election Day results with her having gained nine votes and him five.
In his statement, Kent encouraged the Republican Party to adapt to increase voter turnout and that he would be “helping lead this change.”
Gluesenkamp Perez responded to the call with a post on Twitter Wednesday, where she wrote: “Democracy is alive and well in our corner of the country.”
In 2020, the 3rd District voted for in favor of incumbent-President Donald Trump and was represented by Republican Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler. However, she failed to win the primary in part due to her vote to impeach Trump.
Gluesenkamp Perez, a co-owner of an auto shop with her husband in Portland, Oregon argued during the campaign that she was more in touch with voters than Kent.
The Washington Secretary of State’s office is expected to recertify the election results later this week.
