Here Are The Candidates Who Refuse To Concede

The midterm elections have come and gone. The votes are in and the projections have been made. And the key facts are known. But for a handful of candidates, the race is not yet over, as the Georgia and Wisconsin gubernatorial races could be headed for a runoff. Fox News mentioned Stacey Abrams and Scott Walker “among [the] key candidates in midterm races refusing to concede.”

“In Georgia, Democrat Stacey Abrams, who was vying to become the first African-American female governor in U.S. history, has yet to concede though returns show her falling short of defeating Republican Secretary of State Brian Kemp in the race.”

According to Fox News, Abrams remained adamant as she spoke to her supporters on Tuesday night, telling them that there are “votes [that] remain to be counted.”

Abrams made her candidacy a referendum on voting rights. She believed that the Republicans were involved in a campaign of voter suppression that would have deleterious effects on the black vote. If the race was close, it was almost inevitable that the apparently losing candidate would not give up.

Former president Barack Obama came out to lend his support in that race, and so did Oprah Winfrey. Her voice was particularly important for the effort. Her voice was also the target of the opposition as they reportedly launched a robocalling campaign using an Oprah-like voice to spew a racially charged message.

Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker is also keeping hope alive as he refuses to accept a narrow defeat by one percentage point. That margin is just enough to allow Walker to demand a recount. His campaign is hoping for a last-minute military boost to his numbers.

Eighteen-year incumbent Bill Nelson is also set to be ousted from his seat by Republican Rick Scott. Fox News provided more information about a possible recount.

“That race could be headed toward an automatic recount, which is triggered when candidates are within one-half point of each other. Returns show Scott leading Nelson by 34,500 votes, which is less than one-half percent.

Scott’s campaign, though, has already declared victory.”

Declaring that the race is over, Scott’s spokesperson added that “it’s a sad way for Bill Nelson to end his career.” The spokesperson added that Nelson is “desperately trying to hold on to something that no longer exists.”

The challenge with such close races is that there is always some contingent of the population that will believe their votes were not represented fairly. This seems like a foregone conclusion in a race like Georgia where voter suppression and racial politics are the key issues at stake.

Regardless of which candidate wins, the challenge will be uniting the electorate and actually governing. One thing is for certain – all three of these close races are far from over.