Pennsylvania Republican House candidate Rick Saccone vowed late Tuesday "we're going to fight all the way to the end" as he was locked in a bitter special congressional election race with Democrat Conor Lamb.
"We're still fighting the fight," Saccone, 60, a state House legislator, told supporters around 11:30 p.m. ET at his campaign headquarters in McKeesport, Pa., near Pittsburgh. "It's not over.
"I never give up. We're not giving up."
With 99 percent of the vote counted, Saccone was trailing Lamb by only 847 votes, 49.5 percent to 49.5 percent.
Libertarian Drew Miller had less than 1 percent of the vote in the special election.
Absentee ballots were being counted in two of three outstanding counties in the western Pennsylvania district.
Saccone, 60, an Air Force veteran, and Lamb, 33, a former federal prosecutor and Marine, were seeking the congressional seat vacated last year by Republican Rep. Tim Murphy, who resigned amid an extramarital scandal.
In 2016, President Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton in the district by 19 points, though Murphy had never faced a serious challenge from the Democrats in eight elections.
Outside groups poured more than $10 million into the race endorsing Saccone, though he only raised $900,000 in direct contributions.
Lamb, however, outraised the Republican by $3.8 million.
President Trump campaigned for Saccone on Saturday, telling supporters to turn out and vote because "we have to defeat Nancy Pelosi" and the Democrats.
Saccone said Tuesday he came down to greet supporters because of the late hour.
"I didn't want to keep you here later than you really need to be, because we'll be working late into the night and into [Wednesday].
"But I wanted to thank you all, because I know how hard you worked."
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