SEATTLE -- King County Executive candidate Susan Hutchison has conceded to Down Constantine.

According to Constantine's campaign, the had a short but cordial conversation in which Hutchison congratulated Constantine on winning and he thanked her for running a strong campaign.

"Although we are encouraged to see tens of thousands of additional votes in our favor this afternoon, we are certain the final outcome in this race will remain the same. This afternoon I called my opponent, Dow Constantine, to congratulate him on his election to King County Executive. Because the new Executive has only a few weeks until taking office, I want him to be able to move forward quickly to accomplish an orderly transition," Hutchison said in a statement released Wednesday.

County Council Chairman Dow Constantine claimed victory over the former TV news anchor after the early returns on Election Day.

"We won," Constantine said on Twitter.

UNCUT: Hutchison Addresses Supporters

With 39 percent of the expected vote counted in Tuesday's election, Constantine led Hutchison with roughly 57 percent to her 43 percent -- a gap of more than 34,000 votes. More than 244,000 votes have been tallied by county election workers.

Although voters in the largely Democratic county made the position nonpartisan last year, Constantine is a veteran Democratic politician, while Hutchison has strong ties to Republican politicians and some conservative causes.

Hutchison ran on a platform of change while Constantine offered voters experience in county government.