U.S. Rep. Marc Molinaro said Wednesday he will accept the results of the state's 19th Congressional District race, but will not concede to his leading Democratic opponent until election officials finish counting thousands of absentee ballots.

The Associated Press declared Democrat Josh Riley as the victor of New York's 19th District — one of the most expensive races in the country, and considered a toss-up throughout the election cycle.

Riley leads Molinaro by more than 3,600 votes, or separated by less than a percentage point. But there's more than 12,000 outstanding absentee and affidavit ballots left to be tallied.

"These ballots will decide the race and we have to be sure every legal vote is counted," Molinaro said in a statement Wednesday. "Whatever the result ends up being, I will accept it, and am beyond grateful to my family, friends and supporters. I'll share updates as more information becomes available."

Two years ago, the freshman congressman bested Riley by fewer than 4,500 votes, or 2% of the ballots. 

A spokesperson with Riley's campaign said Molinaro did not call his opponent to concede. 

Riley addressed supporters in Ithaca after 1 a.m. Wednesday morning, celebrating his tight victory after the AP's announcement.

"We always fight for and stand with the underdog, the overlooked, the counted out and left behind," he said. "Those are upstate New York's values, and I am going to take them to Congress."

New York Democrats flipped at least two seats in the U.S. House of Representatives after Republicans made surprising gains in the state in 2022. The GOP on Tuesday took control of the U.S. Senate, but party control of the House was still up for grabs. 

Molinaro addressed supporters in Binghamton early Wednesday morning before the race was called for Riley.

"We are going to wait to be sure that every voter in the 19th Congressional District has their voice heard and that every vote has been counted," Molinaro said. 

Both candidates refused to take questions from reporters after polls closed at 9 p.m. Tuesday. Molinaro dodged questions after his brief remarks.

Riley's campaign referred to statements the congressman-elect made in his early victory speech, adding he's waiting for the district's presidential votes to be finalized before speaking with reporters.

"Let's join together to bring good manufacturing jobs back home," Riley said. "'Made in America' is not a political slogan, because around here, it is in our sweat and it is in our blood."

The competitive race for the 11-county district got nasty, at times, with millions of dollars spent on attack ads to persuade voters concerned about the economy, immigration and abortion rights.

Molinaro spoke with reporters earlier Tuesday while the polls were open about the top issues for upstate voters — including comments Gov. Kathy Hochul made last week calling Trump voters "anti-American."

"They see it as government overreach," Molinaro said. "And then they hear about folks like Josh Riley who just parachuted into a district and think they're just going to buy themselves a congressional seat."

But Riley said he's connected with constituents in the district, promising to pass legislation in Congress to support labor unions and increase worker wages.

He also vowed early Wednesday to stand up to monopolies and crack down on price gouging to help make New York more affordable.

"For too long in our economy and our politics, the deck has been stacked against everyday people, and it's been stacked for big powerful special interests who pay politicians to do what's best for their bottom line — not yours," Riley said.

Molinaro and Riley took opposite strategies to conclude their campaigns Tuesday. Molinaro crisscrossed the district throught Election Day, holding several campaign events throughout the district.

Riley, meanwhile, took a hike with his family before calling voters later in the day — showing that most voters in the 19th District had made up their mind before heading to the polls.

County boards of elections continue to finalize precinct-level data to determine if the district supported President-elect Donald Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris at the top of the ticket.

The district, which represents about 775,000 people, is leaning toward favoring Trump at about half a percentage point over Harris.

Voters in the 19th narrowly supported President Joe Biden in 2020 by 5,000 votes over Trump.