Air Force pilot claims victory In Arizona House race as recount looms

Air Force pilot Martha McSally (R) claimed victory late Wednesday in her hotly contested battle with Rep. Ron Barber (D-Ariz.), but her narrow margin of victory will likely trigger a recount.

Arizona finished tallying outstanding provisional ballots on Wednesday, and the current results show McSally ahead by 161 votes. If either candidate wins by fewer than 200 votes, the state requires a recount. 

Still, McSally said in a statement she’s ready to move on from the campaign. 

“All ballots are now counted and the voters have made their choice,” she said.

“It’s time to move from campaigning to governing and working together to bring more opportunity here and move Southern Arizona forward,” she added. “I thank Congressman Barber for being willing to stand up and serve as he has. No doubt, he has gained a lot of experience serving this community and I intend to seek his input and assistance to best represent Southern Arizonans and ensure constituent services are kept at their highest level.”

Barber is not ready to concede, and in a statement he said his campaign is gearing up for a recount.

“The law is written this way because every election includes some human error, and with an election as close as this one, it is important that we ensure the integrity of the results,” he said. “We are committed to protecting the integrity of Southern Arizona’s vote. In Pima County, 782 voters had their ballots rejected, and those votes have not been counted. During the legal recount process, we will work to see that every lawful vote is counted and that the voices of Southern Arizona are heard.”

McSally also acknowledged that the recount lies ahead.

“While we still have a recount to go, we expect similar results and will provide the necessary oversight to ensure accurate results,” she added. “I want to thank the voters again for their support and trust in me and look forward to rolling up my sleeves and getting to work from day one to serve Southern Arizonans in Congress.”

Both sides have begun fundraising for potential legal challenges surrounding the recount, which is not likely to begin for another few weeks.

In their first matchup in 2012, Barber avoided a recount, but only narrowly defeated McSally after 11 days of vote-counting. This would be the first-ever congressional recount in Arizona.