From Richard Meryhew:

For Tom Horner, the end came shortly after 10:30 p.m.

His race was over, even if he wasn't saying it directly to the roughly 100 or so supporters still in the audience who chanted his name over and over as he took the podium to again thank they for their help. "We'll see where the evening turns out," he said, knowing the latest numbers were now stacked overwhelmingly against him. "But I do want to let whoever wins this race to know that I'm standing by to help that person build a better Minnesota. "I also stand committed to building on this campaign. And what I think we showed Minnesota is that there is a central to Minnesota politics…I think we really did make a difference. That's our victory tonight, and that's what we are going to celebrate." Asked a half-hour later if he was formally conceding, Horner replied, "Look, I've been around politics long enough to know that there aren't enough precincts left in Minnesota to pull it out. I certainly understand I'm not going to be the winner." He went on to say that out of respect for Dayton and Emmer and those who support him, he was holding off on saying that until "more phone calls are made."