Gilchrest sort of concedes

Rep. Wayne Gilchrest (R-Md.), who fell in a primary Tuesday, offered a quasi-concession on Thursday, congratulating his opponents and their supporters.

“It is a real sacrifice to participate in the political process, and having been through many campaigns, I commend each candidate and their families who made the sacrifice to do so,” Gilchrest said, without referencing his loss.

Gilchrest previously told The (Baltimore) Sun that a concession “amounts to rewarding unseemly behavior,” and he had declined to provide one in the day-plus after his loss.

“I’m not bitter, but my God, what’s happened to democracy?” he had told the Sun. “It’s a clear sign the party is split between dogma and tolerance.”

 In his statement Thursday, Gilchrest said his future would include “advancing good public policy to protect our environment and … promoting a more productive and peaceful planet.”

The nine-term centrist’s district has grown more conservative over the years, and he lost to more conservative state Sen. Andy Harris on Tuesday.