Laxalt concedes US Senate race in letter posted to Twitter

Former Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt has conceded his race to Democratic U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto in a letter posted Tuesday to his Twitter account.

“I entered this arena for my family and those all over Nevada and America who believe our country is headed in the wrong direction,” he wrote. “This race and the 2022 election cycle didn’t go as we hoped, but I am proud of the race we ran.”

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. (2 Tim 4:7) pic.twitter.com/5lUGKKTcRK

— Adam Paul Laxalt (@AdamLaxalt) November 15, 2022

Over the weekend the Associated Press called the race for Cortez Masto, who is leading by a 0.8 percentage point or 7,928 votes. Her win in the closely watched race ensures Democratic control of the U.S. Senate for the next two years.

Laxalt, who was the face of former President Donald Trump’s lawsuits in Nevada that alleged baseless claims of election fraud in 2020, wrote in the letter that the new election laws need to be adjusted.

“But I am confident that any challenge of this election would not alter the ultimate outcome,” he said. “That is why this morning I called Catherine Cortez Masto to congratulate her on her win.”

Trump, who endorsed both Laxalt and Gov.-elect Joe Lombardo, has gone onto social media alleging a rigged election against Laxalt in Nevada, falsely claiming that the Democrats are finding “all sorts” of votes in the state.

In response, Nevada Republican Party Chairman Michael McDonald said Monday that everybody has opinions about what is taking place, but it’s up to everybody down the ticket to “check in to each individual race.”

Laxalt had previously said that he would accept the results of the election, and he stuck with that statement, while also suggesting there were issues with ballot harvesting.

“This heartbreaking loss was not expected, but we close out with two realities. First our Republican turnout on Election Day was significantly lower than expected as we need to overcome nearly three weeks of Democrat-favored mail-in voting,” Laxalt wrote in an email to supporters.

And second, he said, was “massive ballot harvesting and votes dropped off at dropboxes and polling places.” The Review-Journal could not find much evidence of anyone “ballot harvesting,” or collecting ballots on the behalf of others.

In the letter, Laxalt thanked his volunteers, supporters and campaign team.

“I am enduringly grateful for your tireless efforts, and for your passion for a better Nevada and America,” Laxalt wrote.

“It has been a privilege to meet and get to know so many great Nevadans from every community. We have a remarkable state, full of remarkable people who love their country,” Laxalt wrote.

Democrats funneled millions into the race that would determine Senate control, spending $120 million against Laxalt, who raised around $15 million in his campaign and ended less than one percentage point behind Cortez Masto.

Laxalt, an attorney, wrote that he plans to return to “private life and private practice,” and will “remain forever committed to our state, our country, and our cause.”

Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah on Twitter.