SPOTSYLVANIA, Va. — Republican candidate Derrick Anderson conceded the race for Virginia's 7th Congressional District.
His Democratic opponent, Eugene Vindman, claimed victory on election night during his viewing party in Fredericksburg. Vindman touted the support he received in Prince William County, the district's most populous jurisdiction.
The 7th District had been controlled by Republicans for nearly 50 years until Rep. Abigail Spanberger flipped it in 2018. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin won that area in 2021.
Anderson said he had held out to accept his defeat because his campaign was waiting for 11,000 provisional ballots to be counted. He told supporters that his team was at every location waiting for all votes to be counted.
"There's no path forward at this time," he told the room.
Vindman's victory in the highly competitive race was razor thin. An estimated 8,200 vote gave the Democrat the lead to replace Spanberger. The popular moderate announced she will run to be Virginia's governor next year.
Anderson says he has no regrets in the campaign that he ran because his team reached out to voters across the district and touched on the issues that matter to residents like the cost of living and immigration. He also got emotional reflecting on the fact that he was the Republican candidate in his hometown.
After the contentious race where both candidates tried to paint their opponents as extremists, Anderson wished the congressman-elect well and recognized his military experience. Vindman served 25 years in the Army. Anderson also called on unity.
"We expect him to fight every single day to make life better for every American starting here in the 7th Congressional District. While we can't claim victory today, I am asking everyone to come together. Set aside the emotions of a hard fought campaign and unite as one district, one home, dedicated at looking out for our fellow neighbors and focusing on a better future for the seventh," Anderson said.
Anderson's campaign spent over $2.8 million compared to more than $13.3 million spent by the victor Eugene Vindman, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.