PHILADELPHIA — The recount in Pennsylvania’s too-close-to-call Senate GOP primary is on.
Pennsylvania Acting Secretary of State Leigh Chapman announced Wednesday that a recount will take place “transparently, as dictated by law.”
As of Wednesday afternoon, celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz was leading former hedge fund CEO David McCormick by 902 votes.
An automatic recount is triggered in Pennsylvania if a race comes to a half-percentage point or less, unless the runner-up waives it off. McCormick did not waive his right to a recount, Chapman said.
In a statement Tuesday, McCormick said, “We are proud our campaign received nearly 418,000 votes, won 37 of 67 counties, and contributed to a historic turnout with a razor-thin difference between myself and Mehmet Oz. This narrow difference triggers an automatic recount, and we look forward to a swift resolution so our party can unite to defeat socialist John Fetterman in the fall.”
McCormick has also filed a lawsuit in state court seeking to count mail-in and absentee ballots that do not have a written date on their envelope. Last week, the federal 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals issued a judgment that such ballots must be counted in a 2021 judgeship election.
In guidance sent to election officials afterward, the Department of State said that undated ballots should be counted but segregated, pending litigation.
Oz has opposed McCormick’s move to count undated ballots. The Pennsylvania Republican Party and Republican National Committee have also intervened to block McCormick’s request. Both groups said they are remaining neutral in the primary, but oppose the tallying of undated ballots.
Election officials said Wednesday that there are 860 undated Republican mail-in and absentee ballots in 65 of the state’s 67 counties. Two counties have not yet reported their figures.
Election officials have also said that mail-in and absentee ballots are time-stamped when they are received, and that they currently count ballots that have incorrect dates written on them, such as dates in the future.
Pennsylvania’s recount must begin by June 1, and be completed by June 7.
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