Republican challenger Stacy Garrity claimed victory as Pennsylvania's next treasurer Tuesday, a week after election day and as the last of the ballots continued to be counted.
With 98% of the vote in, Garrity led incumbent Democrat Joe Torsella by about 76,000 votes, data from the Associated Press shows.
Torsella posted a concession speech to Youtube Tuesday, calling his loss "heartbreaking" while noting he spoke with Garrity to congratulate her on the win.
"Public service is a privilege, not an entitlement. The Treasurer's Office belongs to the people of the Commonwealth, it looks like this time around they chose someone else for the job. It's as simple as that," said Torsella, who hails from Montgomery County.
"Stacy Garrity and I disagreed about a lot during this campaign. But the campaign's over, so a little while ago I called her to offer not just my congratulations, but also any help she might need as she prepares to inherit this important job," Torsella added.
Garrity made a short victory statement on her campaign Facebook page Tuesday, saying she plans on "changing the culture in Harrisburg and bringing transparency to the treasurer's office, and that's exactly what I plan to do."
Garrity is from Bradford County and served three tours in the U.S. Army Reserve, retiring as a colonel. She was an accountant and later vice president at Global Tungsten & Powders Corp.
