AP

Darcy Burner

BELLEVUE, Wash. - Darcy Burner’s Democratic party label was nearly enough to oust popular Republican incumbent congressman Dave Reichert, but on Tuesday morning, Burner confirmed that she was conceding the race.

"The voters in the 8th District have spoken," she said.

Burner called Reichert Monday night to congratulate him on a second term. It's the second straight close victory for Reichert, who is a former King County sheriff.

Burner, a Harvard grad and former Microsoft program manager, on Tuesday thanked her supporters and said “this isn’t an end, but a beginning.”

“Last Tuesday the voters of this country decided to change the direction of this country, and they elected new leadership in both the House and the Senate,” she said.

Burner had led Reichert in earlier King County returns, although an Associated Press analysis showed her margin there was likely not enough to overcome his lead in the Pierce County portion of the district, which sprawls across the suburbs east and southeast of Seattle.

In Monday's count, Reichert pulled slightly ahead of Burner in King County, putting the race out of reach. The vast majority of voters cast ballots by mail, and they count as long as they were postmarked by Nov. 7. Vote counting was to continue in the district for at least two more days.

Burner's campaign had been staking its hopes on some 20,000 absentee ballots dropped off at polling sites in King County, which were to be counted later in the week. But it was unclear how many of the ballots were from the state's 8th District.

Those ballots were under guard Monday because more voters than expected dropped their absentee ballots at polling sites, overstuffing the security bags meant to carry them to election headquarters.

King County's elections chief said the bags' chain of custody was clear, and the absentee ballots have their own security measures. But elections officials wanted to get clearance from the canvassing board on Tuesday before tallying the votes.