Alaska GOP head says Young will likely keep lead in House primary recount
Published Saturday, September 6, 2008
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Stumble It!WASHINGTON – Republican state party boss Randy Ruedrich on Saturday said he doesn't expect the outcome of the GOP primary for Alaska's U.S. House seat to change after the most recent vote count.
Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell was trailing incumbent Don Young by 239 votes after state election officials spent Friday afternoon counting absentee and question ballots. Young had received 48,006 to Parnell's 47,767.
There are an unknown number of absentee ballots from Alaskans abroad still outstanding. The Division of Elections will accept those votes until Wednesday, when a final count is expected to be announced.
The margin in the race is so slim, though, that a recount is likely, which would further delay Republicans finding out the identity of their nominee for the House.
By law, the state would cover the cost of a second vote count if the margin between Young and Parnell remains within half a percentage point. A candidate can request a recount within five days of the election being certified.
Ruedrich said previous recounts in 2004 and 2003 did not affect the outcome of those races. The electronic AccuVote machines the state uses are typically error-free, he said.
"All I'm saying is that the process that the lieutenant governor and his office run is very accurate," Ruedrich said. "We've seen recounts in the past and we've not seen any change."
When asked about reports within the Republican party that he planned to urge Parnell to concede the race and forgo a recount, Ruedrich said he could neither confirm or deny the reports.
However, Ruedrich said concluding the primary as soon as possible would give the Republican nominee time to prepare for the general election match-up with Democrat Ethan Berkowitz.
It would also allow Republicans to rally around a single candidate and boost their ability to raise money for the November election.
Parnell did not return calls for comment Saturday.
He had been within 151 votes before the state Division of Elections tallied roughly 25,000 questioned and absentee ballots.
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Good news! Young will be easier to beat than Parnell in the general election. Go, Berkowitz, go!
doesn't make any difference a court will put him away with a felony and he will be "In."
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