After Recanvass, Andy Barr Concedes To Ben Chandler. We Can Expect A Re-Match In 2 Years.

Andy Barr concedes defeat to Ben Chandler
By Jack Brammer

FRANKFORT – Republican Andy Barr conceded defeat to Democratic U.S. Rep. Ben Chandler on Friday, 10 days after voters cast their ballots in Central Kentucky's 6th Congressional District.

Barr made the announcement during a 3:30 p.m. news conference in Lexington.

Earlier in the day, a recanvass of votes in the district's 16 counties showed Chandler leading Barr by 648 votes.

Secretary of State Trey Grayson said the recanvass, a re-tabulation of totals from each voting machine that was completed at the request of Barr, gave Barr one additional vote in Lincoln County. The final count showed Chandler with 119,812 votes and Barr with 119,164 votes.

The final stamp of approval on the race comes from the Kentucky Board of Elections, which is scheduled to meet Nov. 22.

In a statement released earlier Friday, Chandler again thanked his supporters.

"Over the next two years I will continue to work hard to create jobs, help our economy recover and make Central Kentucky an even better place to live, work, and raise a family,” he said.

Read more: http://www.kentucky.com/2010/11/12/1521924/ben-chandler-holds-648-vote-lead.html#ixzz156afVo6T

Editor's note: Below is Andy's statement:

Dear Friends,

If there is one word that describes how we feel today, it is the word "grateful."
We are grateful--grateful not only to the one hundred and nineteen thousand Central Kentuckians who voted for us--but to all of the people of Central Kentucky, who are the most genuine, warm and caring people I know.

We are proud of the campaign we have run and we are thankful for the innumerable new friendships we have made.
Regardless of the outcome, in this campaign, in this important time, our ideas won.
Even though I'm not going to Washington, we have sent a resounding message: "The American people are watching, and we will hold you accountable."

As I've said many times on the campaign trail, I ran this race for a cause, not a career. And today, that cause lives on.
It's a cause to save America from bankruptcy and to force our government to live within its means.

It's a cause to vindicate the vision of our Founding Fathers: that human progress and freedom is best served when government is limited and its powers are dispersed.
And it's a cause to reform Congress and make Washington more accountable to the American people.

With this campaign, we have succeeded in holding our representative in Washington accountable.

And we will continue to do so in the future.

I am honored and humbled to have earned the support and confidence of so many of my fellow Kentuckians, and whether as a citizen or as a candidate for public office, I look forward to continuing this important work in the future.

Thank you, and may God continue to bless this, the greatest nation in the history of the world.

Sincerely,

Andy Barr