Democrat won a US House seat this week with 79 percent of vote. Her GOP opponent has not conceeded.

[KPN]

An election in South Florida this week may serve as a marker for where the Republican Party stands in 2022, and how much American democracy has already changed since Donald Trump lost reelection.

The election on Tuesday was ... was a special election to replace a House Democrat who died in office in April. Joe Biden won the [district] with 77 percent in the 2020 election. The Democratic winner, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, ... a progressive who spent her own money to win and backs the concept of universal basic income ... won 79 percent of the vote over Republican Jason Mariner, who ... got less than 20 percent of the vote and trails Cherfilus-McCormick by over 32,000 votes.

“Now they called the race, I did not win, so they say, but that does not mean that they lost either, it does not mean that we lost,” Mariner was quoted by the Miami CBS affiliate as saying. He said he will file a lawsuit.

this ... episode shows the Republican Party could be drifting toward a new norm of refusing to concede — even in landslides. Mariner's refusal to concede and decision to file a lawsuit raises an interesting question ... What if a partisan judge rules, without facts, in favor of a soundly defeated candidate for office? If that seems implausible, then what about for closer elections?

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/01/13/nation/democrat-won-us-house-seat-this-week-with-79-percent-vote-her-gop-opponent-has-not-conceded/

[pandr32]

1. Bad behavior is standard for Republicans now

[MiHale]

2. Get ready for it...

They are playing follow the leader. May we live in interesting times.

[Lovie777]

3. He claiming voter fraud . . .

it was stolen.

[Tommymac]

4. This is 'How to Undermine a Democracy 101' - make people doubt the voting process.

This is how it works in banana republics and dictatorships. No matter how ridiculous the claim it can still be used by the forces of evil.

I cannot say what I want to do to any rethuglican who crosses my path today because it is against site policy.

Plus I am out of rotten tomatoes.

[Klaralven]

5. Do concessions actually mean anything?

It's up to others than the candidates to count the votes and declare the winner.

The candidates have no part in determining the results of the election, other than they can call for a recount.

[KPN]

7. No, the news piece actually did mention that fact. The winner was already declared and will be

installed. The Rs challenge is meaningless aside from the relatively minute probability in this case of a rogue judge ruling ludicrously in his favor.

[Lovie777]

6. He claiming voter fraud . . .

it was stolen.

[JustAnotherGen]

8. We saw it in our tiny borough of 4500 this past Nov

The candidates didn't concede until December 14th - and they have never congratulated the two Candidates (Democratic Party) that won.