Highprofile elections in 3 states unresolved
NEW YORK: Highprofile US elections in Georgia, Florida and Arizona remained unresolved yesterday, two days after the vote, and the prospect of legal challenges, recounts and ballot reviews set the stage for possible weeks of uncertainty.
The stillundecided races will not tip the balance in either chamber of Congress but include contests in parts of the country important to the futures of both parties and, potentially, to President Donald Trump’s reelection chances in two years.
In Georgia, where Republican Brian Kemp declared victory in the governor’s contest on Thursday on a narrow lead, campaign officials for Democrat Stacey Abrams vowed to pursue litigation to ensure all votes were counted.
Abrams is vying to become the first black woman elected governor of a US state.
The Georgia contest came under national scrutiny because of Kemp’s role as the state’s top election official. Voting rights groups and prominent Democrats accused him of using his position to suppress minority votes, an allegation he strongly denied.
In Florida’s Senate race, Republican Governor Rick Scott, with his lead over Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson narrowing, filed lawsuits yesterday against election supervisors in two counties accusing them of failing to follow election law. A spokesman for Nelson, Dan McLaughlin, said the lawsuits were politically motivated and ‘‘born out of desperation’’.
The Florida governor’s race between Republican Ron DeSantis and Democrat Andrew Gillum also appeared headed for an automatic recount, after DeSantis’ lead narrowed yesterday, despite Gillum having conceded.
The hotly contested Senate race in Arizona between two congresswomen, Democrat Kyrsten Sinema and Republican Martha McSally, appeared days away from a final call, with hundreds of thousands of ballots yet to be tallied. Sinema took a slight lead over McSally yesterday as more ballots were counted.
Another cluster of races in the lower House, where votes are still being finalised, could add to the Democrats’ new majority.
According to media outlet calls and data company DDHQ, Democrats now have flipped 32 seats — nine more than they needed to take over the House — with seven Republicanheld districts still too close to call, including four in California, where many ballots are yet to be counted. — Reuters