Updated 12:21 p.m. MST 11/24/18
Rep. Mia Love called Ben McAdams on Saturday to congratulate him on his win in Utah's 4th congressional district.
Today, I spoke with Rep. Mia Love who called to graciously congratulate me on the outcome of the election. I thanked her for her service to our state and country. I wish her the best. There’s a tremendous amount of work to get done and we need bipartisan unity to do it. #utpol
— Ben McAdams (@BenMcAdams) November 24, 2018
Love had been travelling, according to a a statement released by her campaign on Tuesday. The congresswoman also announced a press conference for next week to discuss the race.
"Regardless of how you voted, I want to express my sincere appreciation to you for engaging in the process," she said. "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."
Despite a strong showing in conservative Utah County, the two-term congresswoman was not able to catch up to McAdams in Salt Lake County, which released results from an additional 8,100 provisional ballots cast in the district on election day.
With all votes counted, Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams prevailed over the two-term Republican Congresswoman after two weeks of ballot counting.
McAdams won by 694 votes, just outside the margin required for a mandatory recount.
County clerks certified their results on Tuesday, ending the two-week canvas, and capping off a hard-fought campaign between McAdams and Love.
The Democrat declared victory Monday night at his campaign headquarters and said he was ready to put the election behind him.
“I’m pleased at the results we saw today and I’m eager to get to work representing Utah’s 4th Congressional District,” McAdams said. “My priority is to begin immediately reaching out to the Republicans, independents and Democrats in this district to address some of the tough challenges we face as a state and as a country."
The final results put the race outside of the margin needed for a recount — roughly 673 votes — a death blow for the Love campaign.
Thank you @GovHerbert! I have enjoyed working with you as Mayor and look forward to continuing to work for the benefit of Team Utah in Washington. https://t.co/s4E3TtYybp
— Ben McAdams (@BenMcAdams) November 21, 2018
On Monday, McAdams also signed onto a letter with 15 other House Democrats opposing Nancy Pelosi as House Speaker, following through on a campaign promise to vote for new leadership.
This post has been updated with Rep. Mia Love's concession.
