Republican Ed Gillespie on Friday conceded the Senate race in Virginia to the Democratic incumbent, Mark Warner, ending a bid that nearly succeeded in what would have been a shocking upset. Two senate races still haven't been called. Republicans are already assured of control of the Senate by winning at least 52 of the 100 seats this week. "The votes just aren't there," Gillespie told his supporters, adding that he called Warner earlier in the day to congratulate him. The latest numbers from the State Board of Elections show Warner leading by more than 16,000 votes, or nearly a percentage point, out of more than 2 million ballots cast. Warner has 49 percent of the vote, Gillespie has 48 percent and Libertarian Robert Sarvis has 2 percent, AP reported. Warner, a former governor who is one of Virginia's most popular politicians, had been expected to handily win a second term. But Gillespie, a former Republican National Committee chairman, rode a wave of support for Republican candidates nationwide, and almost knocked Warner out of the Senate despite being outspent heavily. On Thursday, Warner told reporters he was confident that his lead would hold up. He said it would be unprecedented in Virginia for such a lead to evaporate in either the canvass, as the formal counting process is called, or a recount. -- SPA 21:58 LOCAL TIME 18:58 GMT تغريد
