State House candidate leans toward recount bid
Posted on Thursday, November 6, 2008
Trailing Democrat John Edwards by only 74 votes, Republican Kelly Eichler said Wednesday that she is considering asking for a recount in the race for the Arkansas House District 38 seat.
“I think we’re probably going to ask for a recount just to make sure everything is counted correctly since it’s so close,” Eichler said.
Early Wednesday afternoon, both candidates said they were awaiting the absentee ballot counts after Tuesday’s general election that left Eichler behind Edwards by 71 votes, though Eichler was hopeful enough absentee votes might take her to victory.
By 5: 30 p. m., after the 6, 092 absentee ballots cast in Pulaski County had been counted, Edwards’ lead widened by three votes compared with the election night tally.
On Wednesday, unofficial results showed: Edwards................... 7, 044 Eichler..................... 6, 970
Eichler said she wasn’t planning to be “adversarial” and had not hired an attorney, though several friends who practice law were advising her.
“I have not been advised to file a lawsuit yet and I don’t anticipate that happening,” she said. “I think John Edwards is a fine man but I have over 400 people who have contributed money and time to my campaign and I just want to make sure that every vote is counted.”
She said she had heard re- ports that her supporters received the wrong ballot at Precinct 108, which is split between House District 37 — where there was no opposed race — and District 38.
On Wednesday, Edwards said he went about the day as he usually would and wasn’t anxious about the outcome.
“The winners are the citizens of District 38,” Edwards said. “They got to see a hard-fought, clean race where the candidates stuck to their platforms and had nothing that even resembled dirty politics. Kelly has been an honorable opponent and from my standpoint I couldn’t ask for anything better.”
The District 38 race was one of the closest races for a seat in the Legislature on Tuesday.
Before the election, Democrats held a 75-25 majority in the House. Dennis Milligan, chairman of the state’s Republican Party, said he’s hoping the recount will favor Eichler and leave the party with four new seats in the Legislature once vote tallies are certified.
“We knew that was going to be a very close race, and true to form, it was,” Milligan said. “We set high standards to pick up five seats, but three and possibly four meets three-quarters of our goal and I think it’s going to have a multiple effect all the way around for Republicans in Arkansas.”
Republicans gained three seats formerly held by Democrats in Saline County and parts of Pulaski, Faulkner and White counties.
Tuesday also saw the first Green Party candidate, Richard Carroll of North Little Rock, to be elected to the 100-member House. Pending the outcome of the Eichler-Edwards recount, Democrats now hold 70 seats versus 28 seats for Republicans and one seat for the Green Party.
Carroll defeated write-in candidates Lalita Green and Clinton Hampton for the District 39 seat which had been held by Dwayne Dobbins, who left it in 2005 to avoid felony sex charges involving a teenage girl. Dobbins’ eleventh-hour filing was blocked by the Democratic Party earlier this year. He sued to have his name put on the ballot but his suit was dismissed by the state Supreme Court.
Based on still-uncertified results from the Arkansas secretary of state’s office, Republicans handily won the three seats they gained.
In District 29, which covers Saline County, Republican Ann Clemmer won the seat vacated by Democrat Janet Johnson.
Unofficial returns showed: Clemmer................. 9, 502 Scott Smith............... 5, 518
The District 42 seat once held by Democrat Sandra Prater also went to Republicans. Jane English defeated Democrat Val Yagos and Green Party candidate Gene Mason in the race for the district, which covers parts of Faulkner and Pulaski counties.
Unofficial returns showed: English................... 3, 237 Yagos.................... 2, 403 Mason.................... 227
Jonathan Dismang won the third seat for Republicans by defeating Democrat Keith Williams in the District 49 race for the position vacated by Democrat Mark Pate of Bald Knob.
Unofficial returns showed: Dismang................. 5, 660 Williams................. 4, 657
Darinda Sharp, spokesman for the Democratic Party of Arkansas, said though Republicans gained more House seats, “It was still a really good day for Democrats.”
“When you look at Tennessee’s Legislature and Oklahoma’s Legislature — two states that border Arkansas — they both went Republican,” Sharp said. “And, on a day when about 60 percent of the state went for Mc-Cain, but Democrats still have 70 percent-plus in both houses, we can’t complain.”
The Arkansas and Prairie county District 14 seat being vacated by term-limited House Speaker Benny Petrus, a Democrat, went to Democrat Tiffany Rogers, who routed write-in candidate Harvey Edwards.
Unofficial returns showed: Rogers................... 2, 907 Edwards..................... 8
The District 81 seat last held by House Minority Leader Johnny Key was also contested. Republican Karen Hopper defeated Democrat Danny Rowe and independent Bonnie Brown for the Baxter County position.
Unofficial returns showed: Hopper.................. 8, 588 Rowe.................... 3, 027 Brown................... 2, 399
In other House races around the state, Republican Andrea Lea won the Pope County seat last held by Republican Michael Lamoureux, while Democrat Jim House of Fayetteville held on to his seat.
Incumbent David Powers of Hope, a Democrat, retained his seat, as did Democrats Clark Hall of Marvell and Otis Davis of Earle.
Democrat Fred Allen of Little Rock also retained his seat, while Republican Stephanie Malone won a Fort Smith seat vacated by Republican Rep. Jim Medley.
John Burris won the District 85 seat, last held by fellow Republican James Norton of Harrison. Wilhelmina Lewellen, a Democrat from Little Rock, held onto her seat, as did Democrat J. R. Rogers of Walnut Ridge.
Democrat Jim Nickels won the seat last held by Democrat Jeff Wood of Sherwood.
Democrat Linda Tyler won the Faulkner County seat vacated by Democrat Betty Pickett, while Walls McCrary picked up the seat last held by fellow Democrat Lenville Evans of Lonoke.
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