Democrat Dan Maffei Concedes N.Y. House Race; GOP Pickup Rises to 63

New York Rep. Dan Maffei, a freshman Democrat, has conceded to Republican Ann Marie Buerkle in a close contest that appeared headed for a recount. Instead of requesting a re-canvass by hand, as some expected, Maffei on Wednesday conceded the race while defending his voting record during two years in the House, The Hill newspaper said. Buerkle's winning margin stood at 567 votes.

"The electorate may have changed tremendously from 2008 to 2010 in terms of who turned out to vote, but I kept my pledges to the people who elected me and I will forever be proud of that," Maffei said in a statement. "Not only do I not apologize for my positions on the stimulus, the health care bill, financial reform and the credit card bill, but my only regret is that there were not more opportunities to make health care more affordable to people and businesses, and get more resources to the region for needed public projects."

Rep.-elect Buerkle, a registered nurse and lawyer, served as an assistant New York state attorney general. Her victory in an upstate district that includes Syracuse and counties to the west put the Republican pick-up in the Nov. 2 U.S. House election at 63 seats.