U.S. Rep. Jared Golden listens to a question from the media Nov. 6 during a news conference at his campaign office in Lewiston. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

U.S. Rep. Jared Golden was confirmed as the winner in the closely contested race to represent Maine’s 2nd District in the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday after his opponent, Austin Theriault, ended the recount that was underway.

Theriault, a former Republican state lawmaker from Fort Kent, had asked for a recount following a ranked-choice runoff that resulted in Golden winning 50.4% to 49.7%, a margin of 2,706 votes in a roughly 400,000-vote race. Golden also led by a slim margin going into the runoff.

Theriault’s campaign said Wednesday that it was ending the recount because all outstanding questions in certain towns were answered in the first few days of the recount that started Monday.

“It has been the honor of my life to run to represent Mainers in Washington,” Theriault said in a statement. “This was an extremely close and hard-fought race and I’m humbled by the tremendous reception we received from all corners of the district.

“I want to congratulate Jared Golden and wish him the best of luck representing our beautiful home,” he said. “I look forward to working with him, the rest of the delegation, and the Maine people to continue to fight for our state.”

The Maine Department of the Secretary of State confirmed an end to the recount and said that the process had validated unofficial results in all ballots from Aroostook County, the city of Bangor, Kennebec County municipalities in the 2nd District and much of the city of Lewiston.

About one-quarter of ballots were recounted before the Theriault campaign called off the process, department spokesperson Emily Cook said.

Golden said in a statement Wednesday that he spoke with Theriault, who called him to concede the race.

“I appreciate Austin’s service in Augusta and his dedication to the people of Maine,” Golden said. “I’d like to thank the voters for participating in the greatest democracy the world has ever known, and all the staff and volunteers who helped ensure the election’s integrity on Election Day, during the runoff and over the course of this recount.

“I’m already back in D.C. preparing for the next Congress, where I will continue to work hard with anyone, from any party, to do what’s best for Maine’s working families.”

Recounts don’t typically result in significant changes in the final outcome, but in Maine any candidate who loses by less than 1 percentage point or fewer than 1,000 votes, whichever is less, can request a state-funded recount. Officials began the recount Monday morning at the Department of Public Safety headquarters in Augusta and it was expected to take weeks to complete.

The race to represent the 2nd District, the largest congressional district east of the Mississippi River, was one of the hottest and costliest congressional election campaigns in the nation. More than $50 million poured into the rural district from partisans on both sides trying to claim the seat in a closely divided U.S. House, where Republicans managed to win enough races across the country to maintain a narrow majority.