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ATLANTA - Karen Handel has conceded to political newcomer Lucy McBath in Georgia's closely contested 6th District Congressional race.
"Congratulations to Representative-Elect Lucy McBath and send her only good thoughts and much prayer for the journey that lies ahead for her," Handel said in a statement Thursday morning.
Handel was seeking her first full two-year term after defeating Democrat Jon Ossoff in June 2017 in a special election and had been considered the favorite in the race. She succeeded Tom Price who resigned the position to serve as President Trump's first Secretary of Health and Human Services.
"And so, we move on. Tuesday was not our night, but tomorrow will still be our day," Handel said Thursday morning. "Let's all make the most of it."
By Thursday morning, the Secretary of State's website showed Democrat McBath with 159,353 votes, ahead of Republican Handel with 156,419.
McBath campaigned as a "mother on a mission" grieved by the 2012 slaying of her teenage son in Florida.
In a statement to FOX 5, McBath wrote:
McBath added:
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