PA GOP U.S. Senate Primary Headed For Recount

By Marley Parish | Pennsylvania Capital-Star

The Pennsylvania Republican U.S. Senate race is headed for a recount.

Acting Secretary of State Leigh Chapman announced Wednesday afternoon that the margin between Mehmet Oz and Dave McCormick in the GOP primary is enough to trigger an automatic recount, which could last into June and cost more than $1 million in taxpayer dollars.

Unofficial results for the contest from all 67 counties show Oz with 419,365 votes and McCormick with 418,463 votes.

The full breakdown is:

-Mehmet C. Oz – 419,365 (31.21 percent)
-David H. McCormick – 418,463 (31.14 percent)
-Kathy J. Barnette – 331,398 (24.66 percent)
-Carla Herd Sands – 73,213 (5.45 percent)
-Jeffrey A. Bartos – 66,548 (4.95 percent)
-Sean Peter Gale – 20,220 (1.50 percent)
-George A. Bochetto – 14,406 (1.07 percent)

Pennsylvania election law requires a recount if the difference between the final two candidates for a statewide office is 0.5 percent of the vote or less. The candidate in second place can decline a recount in writing to the secretary of state, but Chapman said McCormick has not waived the recount.

Chapman said she plans to issue the formal declaration of the recount by 5 p.m. on Thursday, and counties can begin the process as early as Friday. 

Local election officials must begin the recount process no later than June 1, with results due by June 7. Recount results must be submitted to the Department of State no later than noon on June 8.

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