Cortese concedes San Jose's mayor race

SAN JOSE (KGO) -- Santa Clara County Supervisor Dave Cortese conceded the close San Jose mayor's race with city councilman Sam Liccardo.

Liccardo held a lead of just over 3,600 votes.

Labor unions representing city workers backed Cortese. Current mayor Chuck Reed and many businesses endorsed Liccardo.

Cortese said he wanted to wait until every mail-in ballot was counted before conceding.

"We missed a majority by less than a 1.08 percent margin, which clearly means our message was heard by voters," Cortese said in a statement issued Monday. "I'm confident that you will see a more conciliatory approach by the City's new leadership than we would have seen had our voices been absent from this election."

Liccardo declared victory last Wednesday but at that time Cortese said the election was still up for grabs.

For full election coverage visit our Bay Area Election Results and Voting Guide.