(KSTU) — Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams won the election against Republican incumbent Mia Love Tuesday in the hotly contested Utah 4th Congressional District race with the release of final counts in Salt Lake and Utah counties.
McAdams led district-wide over Love with 694 votes, a .257 percent lead. To trigger a recount in Utah, a margin of .25 percent or less is needed.
Love released the following statement Tuesday evening, saying she would call and concede to McAdams:
“I am currently traveling with my Family for the Thanksgiving Day holiday. I have not yet spoken with Ben McAdams but with the results in and the election now over, will be calling him shortly. I will also be holding a press conference on Monday morning at 10:00 am at the UTGOP office to discuss the race. Regardless of how you voted, I want to express my sincere appreciation to you for engaging in the process. It is one of many reasons this is the greatest country on earth. May we take this week to reflect on the countless blessings surrounding our state and country. Happy Thanksgiving.
-Mia Love”
Utah Governor Gary Herbert tweeted congratulations to McAdams Tuesday:
McAdams declared a “victory” Monday evening following the release of new numbers from Salt Lake County, though the race had not officially been called, and Love had not conceded.
Salt Lake County released its final count Monday, and McAdams was in the lead in the county with 54.07 percent of the vote:
He stated there were “just not enough votes to make difference,” and said he was confident that Love could not overtake him again.
Friday, a judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by Love, seeking to block the counting of ballots in Salt Lake County. Love requested to challenge signature verification being done on ballots by the Salt Lake County Clerk.
Love and her campaign have not yet released a statement on the final numbers.
