Mike Parry, one of two GOP candidates for U.S. House of Representatives in Minnesota’s 1st District, officially conceded the race at about 10:30 p.m. Tuesday as votes from the primary election were being counted.

The final total placed his contender, Allen Quist, at 54 percent of the votes, while Parry pulled in 46 percent.

“We’re certainly happy with the results,” said Quist, “But, I also feel the awesome responsibility of being the Republican candidate for the district. I feel good, but I can definitely feel that weight on my shoulders.”

Parry vowed to support Quist going forward as the candidate takes on incumbent Rep. Tim Walz in the November general election.

“This is about a congressman who has failed to represent the 1st District,” said Parry.

In his victory press release, Quist said he will accept Walz’s challenge to three public debates on national issues. He said that he will also seek three topics of his own for debates.

“One reason for our success is that the public knows our debt crisis is a huge threat to our nation,” Quist said in the release. “They know that changing course will require someone with a steady focus, someone with a grasp of the financial issues before us, and someone with the courage and leadership to make a difference in this daunting task.”

The primary decided what the April GOP convention could not. In April, delegates failed to decide on a candidate at the district GOP convention. Neither Parry nor Quist could attain the needed 60 percent of delegates during the convention.

Talk of a follow-up convention was in the works, but scheduling conflicts pushed the proposed date past its original target of two to three weeks from the first convention.

 

—The Associated Press contributed to this report.