Sen. Thom Tillis has won reelection in North Carolina, defeating Democrat Cal Cunningham and spoiling Democrats hopes of gaining a seat in what has been the most expensive Senate race in U.S. history.

Tillis, 60, delivered a devastating blow to Democrats, who had identified him as a target in their quest to take back the Senate majority. The one-term senator had low approval ratings in North Carolina and was unknown to one-third of the electorate. He had been consistently trailing Cunningham , 47, in the lead-up to November, stymied by President Donald Trump s poor numbers in the state.

Cunningham called Tillis to concede on Tuesday, a week after Election Day. The Associated Press has yet to officially call the race.

The voters have spoken and I respect their decision, Cunningham said in a statement after conceding the election. While the results of this election suggest there remain deep political divisions in our state and nation, the more complete story of our country lies in what unites us: our faith and sense of confidence in our democracy, our civic values and common humanity, our shared aspiration to care for one another, and our belief that we live in a country that does exceptional things.