‘Please disregard;’ Ohio GOP candidate accidentally concedes hours before polls close

COLUMBUS — An Ohio congressional candidate accidentally sent an email conceding his race hours before polls closed.

Tuesday around 3:20 p.m. Republican Derek Myers, one of 11 candidates in Ohio’s March 19 primary, sent out a message that said, “Tonight did not go as we had hoped, but as we know, this race is decided in the primary. I want to give my congratulations to the Congressman-Elect.”

>> March 19, 2024 Ohio Primary Election Results

Minutes later, Myers sent an email asking the media to disregard the statement.

Another email was sent clarifying what happened.

“Two emails were prepared for this evening: one declaring a victory and one conceding the race. The concession email was sent in error as it was being loaded into the media distribution portal, as a draft, in the event of a loss. Accidentally, the ‘send now’ button we clicked instead of ‘draft.’” Myers said.

He officially conceded around 9 p.m.

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