Ortiz Concedes to Blake Farenthold

CNN reports that Democratic congressman Solomon Ortiz has conceded to Republican Blake Farenthold following a manual recount that did little to budge Farenthold's roughly 800-vote lead. This is perhaps the most surprising win for Republicans in 2010--and the most embarrassing defeat for Democrats. The liberal blog Talking Points Memo mocked the NRCC on October 15 for having the audacity to elevate Farenthold--a local talk radio host who had posed for photos while wearing duckie pajamas and standing next to scantily-clad women in a bar--to its second-tier level of candidates:

Who among us hasn't donned duckie pajamas for a night out with scantily clad women, then run for Congress?

Well, in the event that you haven't, consider the case of NRCC's latest big "contender," Blake Farenthold running against Rep. Solomon Ortiz (D-TX). [...]

Democrats see an opportunity to use Farenthold to lampoon the GOP, which, with help from the media, has advanced the narrative that they've expanded the field of "in play" races ahead of November. Farenthall is supposedly part of that expanded playing field.

With Farenthold's victory, the net number of seats gained by Republicans reaches 62.