Brown not conceding to Shaheen

Republican Scott Brown is not conceding to Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), despite multiple news outlets predicting a win for the incumbent.

{mosads}With 76 percent reporting, Shaheen held about a 3,400-vote lead, taking 50 percent support to Brown’s 49.6 percent support.

Brown is holding out for final returns in heavily Republican counties, focusing in particular on Rockingham and Hillsborough Counties as areas where he expects strong support could potentially overcome Shaheen’s narrow lead.

Ryan Williams, a top adviser to Brown’s campaign, said the outlets calling the race for Shaheen early on were “highly irresponsible,” as they were made before votes from Republican strongholds came in.

“We waited for them to come in, they’ve come in well, the gap has been significantly narrowed,” he said. “We’re waiting to see how the remaining towns shape up.”

Brown hasn’t called Shaheen to concede, and Shaheen hasn’t moved to give a victory speech.

Williams suggested that, if it remains close, the race may not be over even when all the votes are in and counted.

“There’s always the possibility of a recount if it’s close, but we’re not thinking about that right now,” he said.