Democrat Murray wins in Washington state

OLYMPIA, Wash., Nov. 4 (UPI) -- Democratic U.S. Sen. Patty Murray declared victory and her Republican challenger Dino Rossi conceded the election Thursday in Washington state.

Rossi acknowledged in a statement that even with many uncounted votes he has no chance of overcoming Murray's 50,000-vote margin, The Olympian reported.

"I ran for the Senate because I believe we need a basic course correction from where Washington, D.C. has been taking us and to make sure this country is as free, as strong and as prosperous in the future as it has been in the past to preserve the best of America for future generations," he said. "That was a message that found a very receptive audience all across this state, though not quite receptive enough."

Murray, first elected in 1992, was seeking a fourth term. As Majority Conference secretary, she is the fourth-ranking Democrat in the Senate.

Rossi, a real estate executive and former state senator, ran twice for governor of Washington. In 2004, he had been certified as the winner before Christine Gregoire edged him out.

The Seattle Times said almost 600,000 votes had not been counted. But the newspaper said most were from King County, the Seattle area where Murray appears to have a strong edge.