Colorado House race headed to recount
From Robert Yoon
CNN
DENVER, Colorado (CNN) -- A court-ordered count of additional ballots in Colorado's 7th Congressional District has left Republican Bob Beauprez a mere 122 votes ahead of Democrat Mike Feeley, triggering an automatic recount in one of the nation's two unresolved House races.
Feeley said he will not concede until the votes are recounted and certified.
"We are now one step further along in this long and emotional process," he said in a written statement. "Once the recount is completed and certified, [voters] will know the identity of their congressman. At that time -- and not one moment before -- I will know whether to celebrate or concede."
On Monday, elections officials released results of a count of provisional ballots, cast by voters who showed up at the polls on Election Day but could not verify their registration status. Those ballots were separated from the others and counted once they were determined to be valid.
Feeley and Beauprez fought in court over how to determine the validity of the provisional ballots. More than 260 votes were shaved from Beauprez's lead but were not enough to tip the race to Feeley.
While Feeley is refusing to give up, Republicans have declared Beauprez the winner. The National Republican Congressional Committee, the House campaign arm of the GOP, issued a news release late Thursday titled "Beauprez Wins."
Colorado's 7th District, a new open seat the state picked up during reapportionment, includes parts of three counties -- Adams, Arapahoe and Jefferson -- in the Denver suburbs.
The other undecided House race is in Louisiana's 5th District, where Republican Lee Fletcher will face Democrat Rodney Alexander in a December 7 runoff. The seat, located in the northeastern part of the state, is currently held by Rep. John Cooksey, a Republican who gave it up to make an unsuccessful bid for the Senate.
Republicans will hold at least 228 seats in the next Congress, compared to at least 204 seats for the Democrats and one Independent.
