Republican congressional candidate Derek Myers of Ohio accidentally sent out a fake concession video Tuesday before the results of his election came in.
Myers mistakenly released a pre-recorded concession video around 4 p.m., in which he pretended to reply to a local news interviewer as fake party noises played in the background.
Ohio candidate Derek Myers pre-recorded a concession video.
In it, he pretends he’s answering an interview question from the local news, and plays fake party noise in the background to make it sound like he was at a real election night party.
Problem is: He accidentally… pic.twitter.com/6rNxRuAo6F
— Conor Rogers (@conorjrogers) March 19, 2024
“So tonight didn’t go as we had hoped, but as we know, this race is decided in the primary,” Myers said in the video. “So I want to give my congratulations to the congressman elected. I’m looking forward to uniting behind him and working with him to get President Trump reelected to the White House in November and evicting Joe Biden.”
“Listen, I’m in my thirties,” he continued. “And as I’ve told everyone on this campaign trail, if I don’t win this race, that’s okay, because I’ve got thirty or fifty more years left, and that’s if I live a good life. I’m looking forward to staying in the arena of Ohio politics. I’m looking forward to working with all the Republicans to make Ohio great again.”
Myers’ campaign also accidentally sent out a concession statement via email to multiple media outlets, the Daily Caller News Foundation among them, at 3:18 p.m. on Tuesday. Myers immediately addressed the incident on social media, stating that the email was sent out “in error” and that polls in Ohio would not close until 7:30 p.m. that day.
Attention Press: My campaign comms team has sent out an email in error as we prepare for both possible outcomes tonight. The polls remain open until 7:30 p.m. Please disregard the email. Thank you.
— Derek Myers (@DerekMyers) March 19, 2024
He later released a statement further clarifying that his concession was sent out by mistake. (RELATED: Salon Owner Jailed For Violating COVID Lockdowns Unseats Incumbent In State House Primary)
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 was clicked…
— Derek Myers (@DerekMyers) March 19, 2024
Myers received 1.5%, the lowest number of votes among the 11 contenders to replace retiring Republican Ohio Rep. Brian Wenstrup of the state’s second congressional district, according to CNN. Republican congressional candidate David Taylor, who reportedly received 25.4% of the vote, won the seat’s Republican primary election.