Hayworth concedes (more or less).

A week after election day, JD Hayworth has issued the following press release more-or-less conceding the race to Harry Mitchell:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 14, 2006

Congressman J.D. Hayworth
Statement on continuing vote count

While there are still tens of thousands of votes left to count, it has become apparent that it is unlikely we’ll get enough of these votes to win the election. We were confident we would close the gap as the early ballots were counted, and we have, but at this point it doesn’t appear to be enough. Of course, if the result of the count changes, obviously I will abide by the will of the people.

Therefore let me congratulate Harry for his likely victory in what was a tough campaign and wish him the best of luck. I would also like to thank my supporters and the thousands of volunteers who devoted their time to my campaigns over the years. I would be remiss if I did not single out the incredible efforts of so many volunteers in this most recent campaign.

I also want to thank my hard-working staff both here in Washington and in the district – those who served in an official capacity and those who worked on the campaign.

One group – the group closest to me – never got time off during my 12 years in public office – my family. To my wife, Mary and our three children I say: Thanks for standing by me. Leaving the House isn’t so bad, since I get to come home.

But most of all, I would like to thank the people of Arizona I represented for over a decade. Thank you for the honor of serving in the Congress of the United States.

Paid for and authorized by J.D. Hayworth for Congress

From the East Valley Trib:

Results released on Tuesday showed Mitchell's margin over Hayworth had grown slightly over the previous day.

Mitchell had 92,648 votes, or 50.1 percent. Hayworth had 86,149, or 46.6 percent, while Libertarian Warren Severin captured 5,825 votes, or 3.1 percent.

...Maricopa County election officials said they hoped to finish counting the remaining 75,000 ballots by the end of the upcoming weekend.

The Mitchell campaign had no immediate comment late Tuesday afternoon.

Mitchell has continued to organize a congressional transition team as he spent a third day at an orientation session in Washington, D.C., for newly elected Democratic members of Congress.

Update: From the East Valley Tribune:

Mitchell was content to wait out the final vote count, he said about an hour before Hayworth conceded.

“The only one who could make the determination of who wins or not is the county recorder,” he said.

He felt confident about the outcome. Mitchell noted that his orientation book listed all the incoming House members.

“A couple of them, they listed with an asterisk, that their races were undecided yet. My name didn’t have an asterisk with it, so I felt pretty good,” Mitchell said.

In addition to other meetings, Mitchell met with presumed Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.; his assigned mentor Rep. Adam Schiff, D- Calif; and other members of the Arizona delegation.

Mitchell, who was scheduled to have dinner with Pelosi and others, could not be reached after Hayworth’s concession.

On election night, Mitchell led 52 percent to 44 percent. On Tuesday, Mitchell led 50 percent to 47 percent.

Hours before Hayworth conceded, political analyst Bruce Merrill said it had become clear that Mitchell’s lead was going to hold. “It’s going to be very hard for J.D. to declare that (Mitchell) has lost it. It’s going to be very, very hard,” he said.

...Gov. Janet Napolitano, a Democrat, said the timing of a concession was Hayworth’s to make.

“He’s got to make up his own mind, but at a certain point, it becomes mathematically impossible to make up — and I think he’s right about at that point,” she said Tuesday at a luncheon at the Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa in Phoenix.

She noted however, that Hayworth had declared victory with far smaller vote margins in earlier elections. “I think consistency is not his best thing,” Napolitano said.