Antonetta Stancu Concedes Bucks Co. DA Race To Matthew Weintraub

BUCKS COUNTY, PA — Democrat Antonetta Stancu, the challenger for District Attorney of Bucks County, conceded the race to incumbent Matthew Weintraub in a statement Wednesday.

"Yesterday, I fell short in my campaign to be the next Bucks County District Attorney," she wrote online. "I am proud of the campaign I ran and the ideas I put forth. They were not 'talking points' to me but rather things I truly believe in."

Stancu ran a campaign based in part around mental health services and protocols within the county's criminal justice system. She expressed a desire for greater focus on community programs.

"At this moment, the system ignores issues that plague so much of our community AND ignores crucial members of our community," she wrote in her candidate profile on Patch.

Stancu actually worked for Weintraub in the District Attorney's Office at one point, as Chief of Major Crimes, according to the Delaware Valley Journal. She was endorsed this fall by former Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell, who called her "tough as nails."

But by Wednesday morning, Republican Weintraub had a decisive lead of more than 30,000 votes in unofficial results from the Bucks County Board of Elections. As the district attorney for the past five years, he focused his campaign on public safety and "get[ting] at the roots of crime."

Although the county has not finished tallying votes, Weintraub's win seems secure.

"As a resident of this county and a mother of two young Bucks Countians, I wish Matt Weintraub success in leading the District Attorney's Office these next four years," Stancu wrote in her concession. "If he and the office succeed in keeping our community safe, then we all succeed."

She also took the opportunity to express her gratitude to those who supported her candidacy.

"I want to thank each and every supporter and staffer for all their hard work and determination throughout this race," she wrote. "Lastly, I couldn't have done this without the unyielding encouragement and support of my family and friends."

See exact vote tallies in the District Attorney race here.