Democratic Sen. Antoine Thompson is poised to formally concede the 60th SD race to his Democra-turned-Republican opponent, Mark Grisanti, several Senate sources confirm.

UPDATE: And here’s Thompson’s statement, which is a little odd, since it mentions nothing at all about Grisanti, who has a 4 p.m. press conference scheduled in Buffalo:

“I thank the residents of the 60th Senatorial District for allowing me to serve them for four years – a duty that I took very seriously and an experience for which I am extremely grateful. ”

“I thank the many community partners who I’ve had the pleasure of working with side-by-side for a better 60th District. Together, we accomplished monumental successes in the areas of economic development, education and the environment.”

As recently as yesterday, Thompson said during a brief interview at the Capitol that it would be “premature” for him to stop fighting, noting that there are still some ballots yet uncounted.

There had been speculation that he would push for a full hand recount, but the Senate Democrats have made it clear they have no intention of continuing to pay the legal bills to fight a losing battle out in Buffalo.

The Democrats are increasingly coming to terms with the fact that they will return to the minority come January, although they’re holding out hope that some mid-year retirements by the older members of the GOP could spark a few special elections where they might be able to regain ground.

Thompson’s loss puts the Senate split at 29-31. The Democrats would have to win both the 37th and 78th SDs to deadlock the chamber, which is highly unlikely.

The safer bet is that while Suzi Oppenheimer holds off Bob Cohen in the 37th, Jack Martins will defeat Sen. Craig Johnson in the 7th, although Johnson has already reportedly made clear his intentions to run again in 2012 (a presidential year that would likely boost Democratic turnout in that closely-divided district).

UPDATE2: Now there’s a statement from Senate Minority Leader Dean Skelos, which appears in full after the jump. It includes a shout-out to Sen. George Maziarz, who briefly considered a leadership run, but then abandoned it to support Skelos; and a “thank-you” to Thompson for doing the “right thing.”

“I congratulate Mark Grisanti on his hard-fought victory in the 60th Senate District, and welcome him as part of our new Republican Majority in the State Senate,” Skelos said.

“Mark deserves credit for standing up for Western New York, and for running a strong and successful campaign. There are many other individuals who also played key roles in this extraordinary victory, starting with my friend and colleague Senator Maziarz.”

“I applaud Senator Thompson for doing the right thing for his constituents and conceding this election. Losing an election is never easy, but in light of the enormous challenges we face, it’s more important
than ever that we get back to governing.”

“Senator-elect Grisanti will be a strong voice for the 60th Senate District in Albany, and we are eager to get right to work with him on Western New York’s priorities.”

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