After two weeks of moronic jackassery by officials in St. Lucie County, Florida, the recount of the vote has left Rep. Allen West over 1900 votes short of a victory, and early this morning he conceded the race to his opponent, Patrick Murphy.

Here’s a partial statement from Rep. West’s campaign this morning:

“For two weeks since Election Day, we have been working to ensure every vote is counted accurately and fairly. We have made progress towards that goal, thanks to the dedication of our supporters and their unrelenting efforts to protect the integrity of the democratic process. While many questions remain unanswered, today I am announcing that I will take no further action to contest the outcome of this election.

While there are certainly still inaccuracies in the results, and the actions of the St. Lucie County and Palm Beach County Supervisors of Elections rightly raise questions in my mind and for many voters, after much analysis and this past weekend’s recount in St. Lucie County, our legal team does not believe there are enough over-counted, undercounted or fraudulent votes to change the outcome of the election.

While a contest of the election results might have changed the vote totals, we do not have evidence that the outcome would change. Given the extremely high evidentiary hurdles involved in a successful challenge, I will not ask my generous supporters to help fund a drawn-out, expensive legal effort with little chance of success. Therefore, we will not contest the certification or challenge the seating of Congressman-elect Murphy.”

The entire statement can be read on Allen West’s Facebook page here.

I consider this is a huge loss. I absolutely adore Allen West. He said all those things in public that I only yelled to my TV about. He called out the communists in Congress. He regularly went toe-to-toe with Debbie Wasserman Shultz (always fun to watch). He, like me, stands for Tea Party first principles of fiscal responsibility, constitutionally limited government, and free market economic policies. And as Lieutenant Colonel West, defending his interrogation of an Iraqi detainee, he now famously said:

“If it’s about the lives of my soldiers at stake, I’d go through hell with a gasoline can.”

I can also assure you that every soldier in his command would have followed him through Hell too. I wanted to post a couple of great West videos demonstrating just how fearless he is. There were so many great ones to choose from! Here’s a couple that if you’re an Allen West fan, you will love.

So he’s out. But Allen West made it perfectly clear that he will not be leaving public life, thank goodness. Conservatives need his voice – his fearlessness, now more than ever:

“I have dedicated my life to serving this nation, and the results of this election will not change my purpose. Just as I did in the deserts of Iraq and Afghanistan, just as I did on Capitol Hill, I will continue to fight for our Republic.

“Our nation will not overcome our challenges overnight, and the road ahead for each one of us will not be easy. But this nation would never have become that shining beacon of light if our founders had chosen the easy path 236 years ago. We all must proudly continue their legacy.

“For the protection and preservation of our life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, I shall remain steadfast and loyal.”

Florida, you and elections, utterly suck.