Tea Party fave Allen West concedes defeat

Catalina Camia, USA TODAY | USATODAY

GOP Rep. Allen West conceded defeat Tuesday morning to Democrat Patrick Murphy, ending a two-week fight in a swing congressional district in Florida.

The GOP congressman said in a statement that he believes there are still "inaccuracies" in the results, but his legal team "does not believe there are enough over-counted, undercounted or fraudulent votes to change the outcome of the election." Votes had been recounted in St. Lucie County, which showed Murphy leading.

"While many questions remain unanswered, today I am announcing that I will take no further action to contest the outcome of this election," West said.

The retired Army lieutenant colonel, who served in Iraq, was an instant Republican star when he was elected in the 2010 Tea Party wave. The Palm Beach-centered district had long been held by a Democrat.

West was also the first black Republican in Congress elected from Florida since Reconstruction.

He garnered headlines — and raised a lot of campaign cash — with controversial statements such as saying up to 80 House Democrats were communists and that President Obama's supporters were a "threat to the gene pool." Remarks like those made West a top Democratic target, and the race in Florida's 18th Congressional District was watched nationally.

It ended up being one of the most expensive races for Congress, according to data collected by the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics. West raised slightly more than $17 million, dwarfing Murphy's campaign account of about $3.7 million.

Murphy, 29, is vice president of Coastal Environmental Services, a company that specializes in environmental cleanup and disaster relief. He made West's comments a focus of his campaign.

Murphy's victory means Democrats picked up eight seats in the election, but Republicans will retain power in the 113th Congress. Democrats fell short of their quest to gain 25 seats to reclaim the House majority.