Republican U.S. Senate candidate for the state of Nevada Adam Laxalt has conceded to Democratic incumbent Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, saying an election challenge “would not alter the ultimate outcome.”
Laxalt posted the concession statement on Twitter Tuesday morning. Cortez-Masto was projected to keep her seat by the Fox News Decision Desk on Nov. 12. Her win gave Democrats continued control of the Senate.
Cortez Masto is a former two-term state attorney general who made history in 2016 as the first Latina elected to the Senate, as she succeeded longtime Democratic Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada, who served eight years as Senate Majority Leader.
Laxalt, who succeeded Cortez Masto as state attorney general, is an Iraq War veteran, grandson of the late Nevada governor and senator Paul Laxalt, and the 2018 GOP gubernatorial nominee who narrowly lost to now-Gov. Steve Sisolak.
Nevada’s count took several days because of the mail voting system created by the state Legislature in 2020 that requires counties to accept ballots postmarked by Election Day if they arrive up to four days later.
DEMOCRATS SUE TO OPEN GEORGIA EARLY VOTING ON SATURDAY AFTER THANKSGIVING, DESPITE VOTING LAW
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – NOVEMBER 08: U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) speaks at a election night party hosted by Nevada Democratic Victory at The Encore on November 08, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Supporters and candidates gathered to await the results for several key races in the state of Nevada including the Gubernatorial and Senate race.
(Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Voters had until the end of day Monday to “cure” — or fix clerical problems with — their mail ballots, enabling those to be added into the final tally.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – NOVEMBER 08: Nevada Republican Senate nominee Adam Laxalt speaks at a Republican midterm election night party at Red Rock Casino on November 08, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Laxalt, a former Attorney General of Nevada, was in a tight race in his campaign to unseat incumbent U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV).
(Mario Tama/Getty Images)
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Nevada is a closely divided swing state and one of the most racially diverse in the nation. It is a working-class state whose residents have been especially hard hit by inflation and other economic turmoil.
Fox News’ Adam Sabes, Paul Steinhauser and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
