Diane Tebelius, the opponent of 48th District Democratic incumbent Rep. Ross Hunter, conceded the race Monday evening.

As of Nov. 9 Hunter had 22,484 votes (53.74 percent) to Tebelius’ 19,358 votes (46.26 percent).

“It was a hard race,” Hunter said. “I’m pleased the voters think I made a reasonable set of choices.”

Tebelius said the campaign debate between herself and Hunter centered on the state’s fiscal health and that it “must be restored by growing jobs in the private sector and not government.”

The Legislature faces a $5 billion deficit when it resumes in January, Tebelius noted.

“It is my hope that the people’s voice will win out over special interests and that there will be strong leadership to reset government and to determine the priorities in this state,” Tebelius said in a statement.

Hunter sees the challenges facing the new Legislature, especially since the public decided to vote against several taxing initiatives.

“Obviously we have a lot of work ahead of us to get a budget that reflects people’s priorities,” he said.

Hunter’s fellow 48th District Democratic incumbents, Sen. Rodney Tom and Rep. Deb Eddy, both hold leads in their respective races.