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Published by The Sacramento Bee. 
Democrat Charlie Brown conceded defeat Wednesday in Northern California's 4th Congressional District race, 29 days after Election Day and two days after opponent Tom McClintock declared victory.
In a letter e-mailed to supporters Wednesday afternoon, Brown wrote: "A short time ago, I called Senator Tom McClintock to congratulate him on a hard fought victory, and to wish him well in Congress."
Brown, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel who championed veterans issues during the campaign, trailed McClintock by fewer than 1,800 votes in the heavily Republican district, which stretches from the Sacramento suburbs to the Oregon border.
Two years ago, Brown narrowly lost to Republican Rep. John Doolittle, who is retiring from the 4th Congressional District seat amid an FBI probe into his ties to disgraced Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
Brown had declined to concede the race with McClintock until Wednesday, declaring that thousands of ballots remained to be counted and he was "committed to ensuring a fair and accurate count where every voice is heard."
In his letter, Brown said he was satisfied that, with "more than 370,000 votes tallied, the outcome of this election is no longer in question."
Offering his "deepest gratitude" to supporters, he said his campaign "transformed the 4th District" and "built a coalition change agents that transcended partisanship."
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