Republican Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle, who two years ago rode a wave of tea party support into Congress in a closely contested election, is conceding this afternoon to Democrat Dan Maffei.

Buerkle is trailing by more than 14,500 votes after Tuesday’s election against Maffei, the incumbent she defeated in 2010.

Despite it being unlikely to overcome the deficit with absentee ballots, Burekle had not conceded the race on Election Day.

The race was an expensive one, with both candidates lobbing charges at each other over womens health issues and the future of the Medicare program.

The newly formed district in the Syracuse area was also more difficult for a Republican to run in, especially in a presidential election year.

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