Democrat Jahana Hayes has been reelected for Connecticut's Fifth District Congressional seat. She defeated her Republican opponent, George Logan, in a race that was being watched for a possible national impact.
Logan held a news conference on Thursday morning and said called Hayes Thursday morning and congratulated her on her victory.
“We hold our heads up high,” Logan said, calling the campaign a good and hard-fought battle.
He said his lawyers and election workers scrutinized the results and have concerns about the counting and reporting of votes, but their issues would not yield enough votes to change the outcome of the election and they have no legal recourse to force a recount.
NBC News has declared Hayes the projected winner.
The highly contested race between Hayes and Logan was considered too close to call on Election Night and into the day Wednesday.
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In a statement Wednesday night, Hayes declared victory over Logan.
“For four years, I have delivered for this community, and I was proud to run on my record of helping the people in every part of this district. This was a hard fought race that was unfortunately fueled by millions of dollars in outside spending. But ultimately, the people of this district are the ones to decide who their representative will be – not national Super PACs. The Fifth District is my home, and I’m humbled to have the opportunity to continue serving you in the House of Representatives.”
"You can't take anything for granted. You have to work for it every single day," Hayes said during a news conference.
She said she's not surprised it was such a close race, citing it being a Midterm year and her third term.
"There was a lot in this campaign that didn't have to happen," Hayes said. "[But] a tough campaign isn't going to make me shy away from it. I trust the process."
Hayes' campaign said the margin of victory exceeds the statutory margin that would necessitate a recount.
The Office of the Secretary of the State said there were some technical difficulties with the head moderator's return from the Town of Salisbury due to recent redistricting changes.
"As with any election, our office prepares contingencies for these situations and our office collected a paper copy of the Head Moderator’s Return attached hereto. The inclusion of these vote totals brings the margin of victory for Representative Hayes to 1,842 votes," Director of Elections Theodore Bromley said in a statement.
This will be Hayes' third term as a congresswoman.
Both candidates kept a low profile for the better part of Wednesday. Before Hayes declared victory, Logan's campaign issued the following statement:
"We’re closely monitoring the vote count, but given the results reported by the Secretary of State we’re confident that after all the votes are counted we believe George Logan will be the next Congressman from Connecticut’s 5th Congressional District."
Logan held a news conference at 10 a.m. on Thursday and conceded.
"The time has come for this campaign to end and for all of us to come together and work toward a brighter future for our state and our nation," Logan said Thursday morning. "I am committed to continuing the work to make that happen."
Logan is an engineer by training, a former two-term state senator and a small business owner.
A Republican has not represented the state's 5th district since Nancy Johnson, who lost the seat in 2006.
