Rep. Bob Etheridge, the North Carolina Democrat who made headlines earlier this year by manhandling a student who approached him with a video camera, has called a 3 p.m. ET press conference where he is expected to concede to Republican Renee Ellmers.
Backed by Tea Party activists, Ellmers was the only GOP challenger in the nation to run a campaign ad about the Ground Zero Mosque controversy.
According to WXII-TV in Raleigh, a recount confirmed that Ellmers defeated Etheridge by about 1,500 votes. The victory by Ellmers means that the GOP has scored a net gain of 61 seats in the mid-term election, and Republicans lead in three of the five seats where a winner has not yet been decided.
