Republican Richard Tisei conceded the 6th Congressional District race to incumbent John Tierney in an email sent to media outlets just before 2 p.m. today.
About an hour earlier, Tisei's campaign manager, Paul Moore, had called Tierney's campaign manager, Matt Robison, to concede the race.
"This has been a long, hard-fought battle and I believe that the voters deserve better representation in Washington. That's why I ran," Tisei said in a statement. "Nonetheless, the election results are now fully in and Congressman Tierney retains a narrow lead. I congratulate him on his victory."
With all 39 cities and towns in the district reporting, Tierney beat Tisei by a slim 48 percent to 47 percent margin. Tisei did not concede the race last night, citing "irregularities" in the polling numbers coming out of Lynn.
"While I have concerns about reported irregularities in some areas of the district, I'll leave any investigation of those matters to others. I'll have no further comment on these matters," he said in the statement.
"I'm proud of our effort to bring change to Washington and for all of those wonderful people I've met along the way. It's been the experience of a lifetime. I'm also grateful for all of those who've bravely stood up to be counted as we try to put our country back on track. There is no substitute for citizen involvement in building a better country. I encourage every American to get involved, stay involved, and make a difference."
Tisei, 50, spent 26 years in the Massachusetts Legislature, much of it as Senate minority leader.
Tierney will return to Washington for a ninth term.
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