Two Republican candidates in Colorado state House elections have secured very narrow victories following mandatory recounts conducted by the secretary of state’s office.
In House District 16, which includes a portion of El Paso County, Republican Rebecca Keltie received 20,641 votes, narrowly defeating the Democratic incumbent Rep. Stephanie Vigil, who garnered 20,638 votes. According to the office, Vigil’s vote count increased by three during the recount, The Center Square reported.
Secretary of State Jena Griswold initiated the recount on November 25. Under state law, recounts are mandatory when the vote difference in a race is less than 0.5% of the total votes for the winner, the outlet said.
“The mandatory recount for HD-16 brought this race to a tie,” Vigil said in a statement. “It was only in the process of the canvass board’s review that three Vigil votes were reversed, which therefore tilted the election in Ms. Keltie’s favor by three votes. It’s my understanding that the canvass board’s report will be certified by the Secretary of State, which will make Ms. Keltie representative-elect for HD-16.”
Vigil did not exclude the possibility of challenging the recount results legally.
“There are legal remedies available to me to investigate possible variables that would return the results to what the recount process initially determined, but I will need to consult with legal experts before making a decision of that magnitude,” Vigil said.
In House District 19, which encompasses portions of Weld and Boulder counties, Republican Dan Woog, formerly the representative for House District 63, increased his vote count by one during the recount, totaling 28,420 votes. Democrat Jillaire McMillan received 28,310 votes, with no change after the recount.
Griswold initiated the recount for this race on November 27, the outlet reported.
In the final 2024 House of Representatives race, meanwhile, a Democratic former state lawmaker defeated the Republican incumbent on Tuesday to flip a seat in California’s Central Valley.
Democrat Adam Gray defeated U.S. Representative John Duarte, a Republican, after nearly a month of counting ballots. Republicans will retain narrow control over the House when the next Congress convenes. Republicans will have 220 seats versus 215 for Democrats.
Duane Dichiara, a spokeswoman for the campaign, said that Duarte gave up just before the Associated Press called it when he was down by 187 ballots in a race with more than 210,000 votes.
Gray had already said he won earlier on Tuesday, two days before California counties had to certify their results.
“The final results confirm this district is ready for independent and accountable leadership that always puts the Valley’s people ahead of partisan politics,” Gray said in a statement on X.
California gives county offices weeks to finish counting the votes and get in touch with voters whose ballots might not have the right signature.
Also last week, House Speaker Mike Johnson provided a big update following a meeting with President-elect Donald Trump.
During an interview on Fox News with host Sean Hannity, Johnson spoke about Trump joining Republicans on Capitol Hill to celebrate the party winning back the White House and U.S. Senate as well as keeping control of the House.
Johnson did not mince his words and vowed that Republicans would get Trump’s agenda passed a a breakneck speed.
“We’re going to be very aggressive; we’re going to move the America First Agenda for the American people beginning on day one,” Johnson said.
On Wednesday, House Republicans backed Johnson as their leader in the upcoming Congress. This came after Trump gave the Louisiana Republican his full support at the Capitol Hill meeting.
During a closed-door session at the Hyatt Regency, just a few steps from the Capitol, Johnson, the 56th House speaker, received a voice vote for re-election. There were no complaints, the New York Post reported.