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RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Democratic U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge conceded defeat Friday to Republican challenger Renee Ellmers, bringing to a close North Carolina's closest congressional race.

Etheridge bowed out after a recount he had requested confirmed that Ellmers won by about 1,500 votes. He congratulated his opponent before reflecting on his 14-year career in Washington.

"As I prepare to leave elected office, I do so with my head held high and my heart filled with gratitude for all the people who have helped me along life's journey," Etheridge said.

Ellmers' win makes her the only North Carolina candidate to defeat a Capitol Hill incumbent this year. She is a nurse who campaigned on the message of overturning President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, and she quickly gained the backing of the tea party movement and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

Anticipating that the recount would confirm that advantage she held on election night, Ellmers has spent the week in Washington preparing for life as a freshman lawmaker. She has said the freshman group, many of them supported by the tea party movement, will help ensure small government and low taxes.

Ellmers asked her supporters to pray for both her and Etheridge as they enter a period of transition.

"This election Americans voted to change Washington. And I have been elected to play a role in bringing that change to Congress," she said in a statement. "I will do all that I can to meet that challenge."

Etheridge's seat — representing the 2nd Congressional District covering areas mostly to the south and east of Raleigh — was one of several that Republicans had targeted this year for possible takeover. He had previously won his re-election campaigns by wide margins but was dogged this year by a video posted online that showed him in a bizarre sidewalk confrontation in Washington. He apologized for his actions and asked voters to look at his record in Congress.