Republican upstart Ken Buck has conceded victory to Democratic incumbent Michael Bennet in a congenial phone call this afternoon.  Buck was propelled by TEA Party support past GOP establishment candidate Jane Norton in primaries, but very narrowly missed election to the United States Senate in the General Election.

The race for US Senate was so tight between the two candidates that a Buck victory, a recount, and a Bennet victory took turns as the most likely outcome over a three hour period this morning.  With 794,724 favorable tallies and 99% of precinct reporting, Bennet will log a narrow victory of less than 15,000 votes.  The margin will likely come down even further once overseas military ballots are counted, but not enough to force a recount or swing the vote to Buck.

Campaign staffers reported this afternoon that Ken called Michael personally to congratulate him on his victory.  While the campaign likely could have pressed for a recount given a voting mishap in Boulder County, Buck chose to admit a narrow defeat.  The current Weld County District Attorney, Buck's political stock should remain high after this race.

Said Buck in withdrawing from the race,

"...my Senate campaign has been the experience of a lifetime. I will be forever grateful to the thousands of Coloradans who helped make this grassroots journey possible."

Most noteworthy in this pitched US Senate battle was the money spent from outside sources to slam both candidates.

An estimated $40 million came into Colorado in the form of out-of-state ad buys, and at least $20 million of that money went directly into television & radio attack ads.  The expenditures from outside advocacy were split nearly evenly in favor of both candidates, and combined for the most expensive Senate battle in the country.