Democratic eastern Pa. congresswoman concedes to Republican challenger

Voters on Tuesday went to the polls to choose between re-electing Democratic U.S. Rep. Susan Wild for a fourth term or replacing her with Republican state Rep. Ryan Mackenzie in Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District.

After a long, silent night, Mackenzie declared victory and Wild conceded early Wednesday.

"I'm incredibly proud of the campaign that we waged," Mackenzie said in a news release at 7 a.m. Wednesday. "Because of the hard work of our supporters, our team has managed to overcome the odds, beat the polls, and deliver change for the Greater Lehigh Valley."

Wild congratulated Mackenzie and said she'd ensure a smooth transition of power in a statement she issued at 8:43 a.m. Wednesday. But she was clearly disappointed.

"There is no sugarcoating it: this is a bitterly disappointing outcome," she wrote in her statement.

Mackenzie held off Wild by a vote tally of 200,422 to 194,885, a difference of 50.7% to 49.3%. Those figures are according to unofficial results posted by the district's constituent counties early Wednesday. The 7th District includes all of Lehigh, Northampton and Carbon counties along with part of Monroe County. All precincts were accounted for except for two in Monroe County.

Wild carried Northampton and Lehigh counties, according to unofficial results. Even though Carbon County had far fewer voters than those counties, Mackenzie carried the red county by a 2-to-1 margin.

Wild, 67, of South Whitehall Township, is an attorney and mother of two grown children. Mackenzie, 42, of Lower Macungie Township, and his wife are the parents of an infant son.

"This is how American democracy works. It's how we move forward. And it is absolutely crucial that candidates, in victory and in defeat, abide by this principle. You cannot only recognize the results of elections you win, no matter how much you may disagree with them," Wild said.