Republican Hayes Survives, Wins North Carolina Race

[Ron Burgundy]

CQPolitics.com - Republican Rep. Robin Hayes (news, bio, voting record) of North Carolina has won a fifth term after a slow tally of provisional ballots and two recounts in North Carolina’s 8th District reduced — but failed to eliminate — his slim, 329-vote lead over Democratic challenger Larry Kissell, who conceded Tuesday night.

Finding only two new votes in a rural county near Charlotte, Kissell conceded Wednesday evening in an e-mail to reporters.

“After today’s recounts, I offer Congressman Hayes a belated congratulation for his victory now that the votes have been counted,” Kissell said in his statement.

He said he would run for Congress again in 2008.

Hayes spokeswoman Carolyn Hern said Thursday that Hayes learned of Kissell’s concession through the news media and had not spoken with Kissell, a first-time candidate and high school social studies teacher.

Though Kissell did not appear to be on track to reversing the outcome of the election, his decision to give up when he did was somewhat surprising, if only because the manual recount of select precincts, required under state law, was expected to continue into Thursday.

Had that recount uncovered a statistical inconsistency in the race, state elections officials could have called for a complete, district-wide manual recount.

Kissell nearly pulled off what surely would have been one of the biggest upsets of the campaign season. A political unknown, he ran a grass-roots campaign and was written off by national Democrats after their favored candidate dropped out of contention before the primary. Kissell’s success this year may encourage national party fundraisers to contribute to his effort in two years.