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SPRINGFIELD, Va. Ed Gillespie's U.S. Senate campaign ended in defeat Friday as the Pemberton Township native conceded the razor-tight Virginiarace to Democratic incumbent Mark Warner.

"The votes just aren't there," Gillespie told his supporters, adding that he had called Warner earlier in the day to congratulate him.

It "would be wrong to put my fellow Virginians through a recount," he said, "when in my head and my heart I know that a different outcome is not possible."

The latest numbers from the State Board of Elections show Warner leading by more than 16,000 votes, with 49.1 percent of the vote, and Gillespie at 48.4 percent, out of more than 2 million ballots cast. Libertarian Robert Sarvis was third with 2.4 percent. Warner's margin had increased slightly over the previous two days.

Virginia law allows a loser to seek a recount if the margin of defeat is less than a percentage point. But the state will pay for the recount only if the margin is less than 0.5 percentage points. Because Gillespie is down by 0.7 points, he would have been on the hook to pay for any recount.

Gillespie left the reception room with his wife, Cathy, without taking questions from reporters. On the way out, he shook hands with some of the more than 100 supporters, who applauded and cheered.

A 1979 graduate of Pemberton Township High School, Gillespie previously worked as a political strategist and communications adviser for President George W. Bush and other Republican lawmakers. He served as chairman of the Republican National Committee in 2003, and the following year was credited with helping Bush win re-election to the White House and the GOP win majorities in the Senate and House.

The U.S. Senate race marked the first time he ever ran as a candidate himself.

Warner issued a statement commending Gillespie on his campaign and saying, "Virginians sent an unmistakable message both to me and Congress as a whole: End the gridlock and get to work." Warner promised to work with Republicans on reducing the budget deficit and other issues.

Warner, a former governor who is one of Virginia's most popular politicians, had been expected to handily win a second term. But Gillespie, a former Republican National Committee chairman, rode a wave of support for GOP candidates nationwide, and almost knocked Warner out of the Senate despite being outspent heavily.

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Republican Gillespie concedes Va. Senate race