From his press release:

Corning, NY – Eric Massa placed a call earlier today to the office of Congressman re-Elect John “Randy” Kuhl to congratulate him on his victory in the race to represent New York’s 29th Congressional District. Massa had previously refused to concede the election, but “now that the vast majority of the votes have been re-canvassed and the counting of the absentee ballots is well underway,” he said in a statement on his website, “the voters have spoken and their voices have been heard.”

In light of the narrow margin separating the two candidates after the initial counts on Election Night, and given the unusually high number of absentee ballots reported, Massa felt it was important to wait until the outcome of the election was certain before conceding the race to Kuhl. This meant delaying any concession statement until a time when the integrity of the early returns could be verified by recanvassing the voting machines and until after preliminary counts of the absentee ballots could begin.

The latter process was delayed by a court order that kept the absentee ballots impounded until this past Monday. Although counting has not been completed in every county–and may not be entirely finished for more than a week–the early returns suggest that the votes will break down in accordance with the proportions seen on Election Day. Moreover, of the approximately 8,000 absentee ballots, the number yet to be counted would be insufficient to close the gap between Massa and Kuhl.

Despite the result, Massa still called this election “a victory for all of us who believe in a brighter future for the 29th District and for the United States of America.” He went on to cite the Democratic wins across the country that led to the retaking of the House and Senate as evidence that “this is not a country divided between those with Democratic values and those with Republican values–this is a country united behind American values.”

Massa also had positive things to say about the nature of his race which, he asserted, changed the nature of politics in this District. “We raised more money than any Democrat has ever raised in the New York 29th. We raised more money than any House race has ever raised without taking donations from corporate PACs. We proved that you can run a clean race, focus on the issues, and reach out across party lines—and still be competitive.”

Massa has not yet decided whether he will seek the 29th District Congressional seat again in 2008, but he is very clear on one point: “this is still my home and I remain completely committed to doing everything within my power to make this a better place to live, learn, and work,” he said. “As I look to the weeks and months ahead, I hope to find a way that I can continue to work on behalf of our community.”