In Colorado, two Republican candidates in the state House elections have achieved extremely close wins after the secretary of state’s office carried out mandatory recounts.
In House District 16, covering part of El Paso County, Republican Rebecca Keltie secured 20,641 votes, just edging out the Democratic incumbent Rep. Stephanie Vigil, who received 20,638 votes. The Center Square reported that during the recount, Vigil’s vote count went up by three, according to the office.
On November 25, Secretary of State Jena Griswold kicked off the recount. According to state law, recounts must take place when the margin of victory in an election is less than 0.5% of the total votes received by the winning candidate, as reported by the outlet.
“The required recount for HD-16 has resulted in a tie in this race,” Vigil stated. “During the canvass board’s review, three Vigil votes were reversed, ultimately swaying the election in Ms. Keltie’s favor by a margin of three votes.” I understand that the canvass board’s report will be certified by the Secretary of State, officially making Ms. Keltie the representative-elect for HD-16.
Vigil didn’t rule out the chance of taking legal action against the recount results.
“I have legal options to look into factors that might bring the results back in line with what the recount process originally showed, but I need to talk to legal experts before deciding on something that significant,” Vigil said.
In House District 19, covering parts of Weld and Boulder counties, Republican Dan Woog, who previously represented House District 63, saw his vote count rise by one during the recount, bringing his total to 28,420 votes. Democrat Jillaire McMillan garnered 28,310 votes, and the recount showed no difference.
According to the outlet, Griswold started the recount for this race on November 27.
In the final 2024 House of Representatives race, a Democratic former state lawmaker emerged victorious over the Republican incumbent on Tuesday, successfully flipping a seat in California’s Central Valley.
Democrat Adam Gray emerged victorious over Republican U.S. Representative John Duarte following almost a month of ballot counting. The Republicans are set to maintain a slim grip on the House as the next Congress gets underway. The Republicans are set to hold 220 seats, while the Democrats will have 215.
Duane Dichiara, a spokesperson for the campaign, mentioned that Duarte conceded just before the Associated Press made the announcement, as he was trailing by 187 votes in a contest that had over 210,000 total votes cast.
Gray had already announced his victory earlier on Tuesday, just two days before the California counties were required to certify their results.
“The final results show that this district is prepared for leadership that is both independent and accountable, prioritizing the needs of the Valley’s residents over partisan politics,” Gray stated on X.
California allows county offices several weeks to complete the vote counting process and reach out to voters whose ballots may have signature discrepancies.
Last week, House Speaker Mike Johnson shared an important update after his meeting with President-elect Donald Trump.
In an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News, Johnson discussed Trump’s participation with Republicans on Capitol Hill to celebrate the party’s victories in reclaiming the White House and the U.S. Senate, along with maintaining control of the House.
Johnson was clear and direct, promising that Republicans would push Trump’s agenda through at an astonishing pace.
“We’re going to take bold action; we’ll start advancing the America First Agenda for the American people right from day one,” Johnson stated.
On Wednesday, House Republicans supported Johnson as their leader for the upcoming Congress. This followed Trump’s complete endorsement of the Louisiana Republican during the meeting at Capitol Hill.
In a private meeting at the Hyatt Regency, located just a short walk from the Capitol, Johnson, the 56th House speaker, was re-elected through a voice vote. The New York Post reported that there were no complaints.
