UPDATED: Madrid Concedes

UPDATED HERE AND BELOW: The Patricia Madrid campaign held a press conference at DPNM headquarters in Albuquerque this morning and conceded victory to Heather Wilson. No recount will be requested. According to a report on the Albuquerque Journal website, Madrid won't ask for a recount but the Democratic Party of NM may ask for a limited hand tally:

But state Democratic Party Chairman John Wertheim said he still is considering asking for a hand tally of 2 percent of ballots in the district's precincts to test the accuracy of the new optical scan tabulators.

Madrid, New Mexico's attorney general, said she decided against a recount because she felt it would not change the outcome of the election.

After the final canvass found several small errors, vote totals in the NM-01 congressional race between Dem challenger Patricia Madrid and Repub incumbent Heather Wilson were as follows:

Wilson: 105,921
Madrid: 105,046

The final margin was 875 votes among approximately 211,000 ballots cast, or under 0.5%.

ANOTHER UPDATE 11:52 AM: According to the Albuquerque Tribune:

Democrat Patricia Madrid, defeated by incumbent Republican Heather Wilson in the 1st Congressional District, conceded Tuesday, saying a recount would cost too much and there was no guarantee it would change anything.

She said the cost of a full recount could be as high as $250,000 to $300,000 across the 1st district, which includes parts of five counties, and that the Democrats didn't have enough money.

She also said there is no evidence a recount would reverse the outcome of the election.

Madrid said Wilson's margin was less than one-half of 1 percent, which in other states might have resulted in an automatic recount, but said the cost in New Mexico was prohibitive.

"If only one person in each precinct had voted for me instead of my opponent, I would have prevailed," Madrid said.

UPDATE 2:53 PM: A new Albuquerque Tribune article quotes Madrid on her future in politics. Excerpt:

"Whatever I do, if I look at it, will very likely be a statewide race," she said.

"Certainly, I don't ever want to run for attorney general again, because I don't believe in going backwards in your life," Madrid said. "But there are only two statewide races that I think would be higher and that's, of course, governor and Senate."

Asked whether voters can expect to see her on a ticket in 2010 with Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, Madrid replied: "I won't say in what order."

The article also quotes Madrid on why she may have lost:

Madrid also attributed her loss, in part, to being outspent.

"That buys a daily barrage of negative advertising to your mailbox, daily on the television. Go back and look at how much more television she had than I did, how much more mail-outs she did, how much more field operation is funded. It simply comes back to money."

... What could Madrid have done better?

"Started earlier, raised more money, not been so timid on my last debate," she said. "I think I did well in my first debate, but I don't think that was the defining moment."