MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin Republican Eric Hovde officially admitted defeat on Monday in his campaign for the U.S. Senate against the Democratic incumbent Tammy Baldwin. He announced that he would not pursue a recount, despite having previously indicated he was not ready to concede, as he propagated various unsupported election fraud theories.

Hovde’s loss was narrowly determined, with the vote difference under 1 percentage point, approximately 29,000 votes. Though he had the option to request a recount due to the slim margin, he opted against it, realizing he would be responsible for the costs associated with such a process.

Tammy Baldwin celebrated her victory after the Associated Press declared the results on November 6. Her win in this election was more substantial than the performance of Vice President Kamala Harris in the state, who had a similar vote loss.

Last week, Hovde released a video where he aired claims of election irregularities, which had already been debunked by officials across both major parties and independent election experts. After acknowledging the loss in a radio interview the same day, he still refrained from formally conceding.

In his concession video on Monday, Hovde stated that clarifying the doubts surrounding the election’s integrity would not have emerged from a recount without a court mandate.

Baldwin’s victory was notable, especially amid a nationwide trend where Democrats faced setbacks that allowed Republicans to regain control of the Senate. Her margin in this election was the smallest among her three Senate campaigns, having previously won by nearly 6 percentage points in 2012 and close to 11 points in 2018.

Hovde, a wealthy bank owner and real estate entrepreneur, had attempted to secure a Senate seat before in 2012 but fell short in the Republican primary. This year, he received support from then-President-elect Donald Trump and invested millions of his personal funds into his campaign efforts.