ST. LOUIS (AP) - Nearly a week after a narrow loss in Missouri's 3rd District congressional race, Republican Ed Martin conceded the hard-fought and surprisingly close race on Monday to incumbent Democrat Russ Carnahan.
Martin had held out because of concern over a late surge of votes in Carnahan's favor in Tuesday's general election. Carnahan beat Martin by about 4,400 votes in the St. Louis-area district, after earlier returns indicated Martin might pull off the upset.
But on Monday, Martin said an evaluation by his staff and election officials did not determine any wrongdoing. He called Carnahan's office to concede on Monday morning. Carnahan was not in.
"I just left a message saying congratulations and it's time to move on," Martin, a 40-year-old lawyer and former chief of staff for Gov. Matt Blunt, said in an interview with The Associated Press.
Carnahan said in a statement that he wishes Martin the best.
"This has been a long and spirited campaign, and my focus is now where it has always been: serving the people of this district," Carnahan said.
The close finish came on an Election Day when Republicans took control of the U.S. House. But the 3rd District has been in Democratic hands for decades and was believed safe for Carnahan, the son of two-term Gov. Mel Carnahan and brother of Democratic Senate candidate Robin Carnahan, who lost on Nov. 2 to Republican Roy Blunt.
Russ Carnahan was first elected in 2004. His predecessor was longtime Democratic stalwart Dick Gephardt.
"Everyone thought there was no way Dick Gephardt's seat would be competitive," Martin said. "We were able to make it competitive and energize people in a way that hadn't been seen for decades. It was real exciting."
But Martin said a narrow loss is still a loss.
"You win the battle and lose the war," he said. "Being close is some consolation, but it's not what we wanted."
Martin said the concession doesn't mean he still doesn't have concerns about Election Day in St. Louis. He cited several factors last week in his refusal to concede.
For one, the city Board of Elections had hired a private security firm that had previously worked for Carnahan's campaign. Commissioner Carol Wilson said the two guards had no involvement in the election process.
Martin also cited potential voting irregularities. Late in the evening, Martin held a slight lead, before a surge of late-tallied votes turned the race in Carnahan's favor. It initially appeared that the surge came from just three city precincts, something Martin called suspicious.
But Martin said he has since learned that the late tally included unreported votes from part of St. Louis County as well as votes from the three city precincts.
"I no longer believe these concerns are sufficient to continue our review of what has occurred or delay agreeing that this election is over," Martin wrote in an e-mail to supporters on Monday.
Martin said he has not yet determined what role he will play in politics. His e-mail to supporters hinted he has no intentions of shrinking away, with a P.S. line that read, "There's always 2012," though he said he hasn't decided if he'll run again for Congress, run for some other office, or play a behind-the-scenes role.
"I haven't really thought about what the future is," Martin said. "On Nov. 3, I turned the calendar over to my wife and kids. We'll see what the future holds."