(Radio Iowa) – Republican Todd Halbur has abandoned his call for a statewide recount of his race against State Auditor Rob Sand and has conceded today (Friday). County officials have been conducting the official canvases of votes this week. According to the Iowa Secretary of State’s website, Sand finishes the race with 27-hundred-13 more votes than Halbur. Sand is the only Democrat on the statewide ballot to win this year. A week ago, Halbur said he would ask for a recount because he didn’t feel confident in the unofficial results. Now, Halbur says his campaign lacks the resources and manpower to conduct a legitimate recount in this statewide race — and Halbur says the Iowa Republican Party and its leadership team failed to provide any support and resources for a recount and has abandoned his campaign.

Halbur loaned his campaign 10-thousand dollars in the last fundraising period and had about four-thousand dollars left in the bank in mid-October. Halbur did not receive financial support from the Iowa Republican Party and was not included in the campaign events Governor Kim Reynolds hosted in the weeks leading up to Election Day.

A spokesman for the Iowa Republican Party says hard-working candidates win elections by attending events, talking to voters and raising money — and the Iowa G-O-P looks forward to defeating Sand in his next election. In October, a jury awarded Halbur a million dollar settlement in his lawsuit against the State of Iowa. Halbur was fired as comptroller of the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division in 2018. Halbur argues he was fired for determining the state was overcharging restaurants, bars and retailers who have to buy liquor and alcohol from the state’s wholesaling agency. Attorneys for the State of Iowa are exploring an appeal of the jury’s verdict.