AUGUSTA — Former Republican state Rep. Austin Theriault ended the recount in the 2nd Congressional District Wednesday, saying the questions he had about the results have now been answered.

The recount, which the Theriault campaign must paying for, started Monday with an examination of the results in Aroostook County. In a Wednesday statement, Theriault said he wishes U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, a Democrat, the best of luck in the upcoming Congress.

“It has been the honor of my life to run to represent Mainers in Washington," Theriault said. "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.”

Final results following a ranked-choice vote count shows incumbent Golden with 50.35% and Theriault with 49.65%.

That’s a difference of 2,706 votes in a race with more than 403,000 ballots cast.

On Monday, teams for Golden and Theriault gathered at Maine State Police Headquarters to begin the recount. Because the margin of victory is more than 1,000 votes, the Theriault campaign was required to pay for it.

The campaign requested that the recount start with Aroostook County, partly because they want to double-check the votes out of Presque Isle.

They also asked for recounts of ballots in Bangor, Lewiston and part of Kennebec County.

Golden declared victory shortly after the election, saying that he believed the margin would be too much for Theriault to overcome. Golden will be sworn in for his fourth term on Jan. 3.