How recounts work in Washington state
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Republican candidate Joe Kent speaks at a campaign event in October. Photo: Nathan Howard/Getty Images
Trump-endorsed Republican Joe Kent, who lost his congressional race in Washington state by about 2,600 votes last month, plans to request a recount of every precinct, his campaign says.
What's happening: Kent's loss to Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Pérez in Washington's 3rd Congressional District wasn't close enough to trigger a mandatory recount under state law.
- For that, the margin would have had to be within 2,000 votes and within half a percentage point.
- Yes, but: Washington lets campaigns that don't meet the mandatory recount threshold pay for one themselves. That's what Kent plans to do, his campaign manager said in a press release Friday.
Why it matters: While Kent said from the campaign trail he'd accept the results of this year's election, he also repeated unfounded claims that the 2020 election was rigged. He was previously a plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging Washington's 2020 results — a claim a judge later dismissed.
The latest: Kent's campaign has been asking for donations in recent days to help pay for the recount. The campaign estimated the effort would cost about $80,000.
What they're saying: "We believe the election workers did their best to ensure a fair election and count the ballots accurately," Kent's campaign manager, Ozzie Gonzalez, wrote in Friday's news release.
- Still, "given the close margin between the two campaigns … and the obligation we have to our supporters to ensure certainty about the outcome, we believe a second tabulation is in order," Gonzalez wrote.
Reality check: It's rare for recounts to overturn election results, even in races that are much closer than the one between Kent and Gluesenkamp Pérez, according to the Washington secretary of state's office.
- In a written statement, Gluesenkamp Pérez's campaign said Kent seems like a "sore loser" and that "no recount is going to change the outcome of this race."
What's next: Kent's campaign plans to apply for a recount the day after the election is certified by the secretary of state, Gonzalez said. That's slated to happen no later than Dec. 8, the office said.