With Republican challenger Martha McSally 161 votes ahead of Democratic Congressman Ron Barber, McSally is claiming victory even though a December recount still appears on the horizon.
McSally’s statement:
All ballots are now counted and the voters have made their choice. We are so grateful for the outpouring of support we’ve seen from across Southern Arizona. My heartfelt thanks goes out to all the voters and everyone who knocked doors, stuffed envelopes, made calls, hosted events, donated to our campaign and put in the countless hours to make this victory possible.
After nearly three years, some twenty million dollars in ads, and two campaigns, it’s time to come together. We are united in our love for Southern Arizona—for the people and places that make this unique community our home. It’s time to move from campaigning to governing and working together to bring more opportunity here and move Southern Arizona forward.
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.
While we still have a recount to go, we expect similar results and will provide the necessary oversight to ensure accurate results. 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.
Team Barber isn’t conceding defeat. Spokeswoman Ashley Nash-Hahn says:
With the unofficial counting of votes now complete, the result is so close that the law requires an automatic 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.
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.
This article appears in Nov 13-19, 2014.
…and this from the party that wanted Congress to pass the ACA bill so they could see what is in it.
Homey don’t play that game.
Good work voters. Good work!
Careful what you wish for on those 782 invalidated ballots Ashley Nash-Hahn.
Roughly 92% of provisional ballots were approved. The Pima County recorders webpage says that generally 70% of provisionals are found to be valid and in 2012 85% were approved. The increasing approval rate data indicates that virtually all of those approved provisionals were approved because voters received a Vote By Mail ballot yet showed up to vote in person without Early Ballot in hand.
Pima County Democrats have a HUGE advantage in Vote By Mail. In fact Barber won the total early voting by 53.97% to 45.61%.
But he only won the Provisional count (overwhelmingly Vote By Mail voters) by 51.47% to 47.99%
Barber actually LOST Pima County Election Day Polling Place balloting 43.53% to McSally’s 56%.
So those 782 ballots you are crying about are NOT Vote By Mail and those are votes Barber lost by the widest margin of any category of votes cast.
Aside from the fact that the recorders reasons for invalidating those ballots http://www.recorder.pima.gov/voterweb/PressRelease/2014/2014%20Provisional%20ballot%20breakdown.pdf are almost entirely a matter of black letter law, are you really, really, really sure you want them counted?
And if you push to get invalidated ballots from Pima County added to the count for various technical reasons, don’t you think there will be a 14th Amendment claim to get similarly treated ballots from Cochise County validated as well? How do you think those might split?
Just some food for thought.
That kind of food makes me dizzy. Why can’t we just move on?
I’m developing votaphobia….and there ain’t no cure….
Typo:
“We are committed to protecting the integrity of Southern Arizona’s vote.”
Should read:
“We are SELECTIVELY committed to protecting the integrity of Southern Arizona’s vote.”
Or, I think they mean that they will be committed for enforcing the sanctity of the So Az vote against those evil greedy capitalists in Phoenix. (That are creating jobs, making money, growing the economy and solving road problems.)
But then, what do they know?
If McSally is still the winner in the recount, WE MUST WATCH HER VOTES in congress and act accordingly, by letting her know what we think, by being aware of how her votes help or hurt those of us in Southern Arizona (did she meet your expectations?), and by letting others know how well or how poorly she votes in accordance to the needs of those of us she would represent. My guess is she is likely to vote in favor of her most affluent supporters but I hope she proves me wrong if she is elected.
Judy have you let Nancy Pelosi know that you are upset about her lies in regards to the ACA?
They are now looking into criminal charges for fraud and deception.
I’m not sure I can comprehend your needs. Is it like theirs and Ted Kennedy to “steal government money from the taxpayers?”
Why can’t you fund your own needs?
Barber was making noise like he won the election before the votes were all counted. His baseless rhetoric showed him to be the kind of politician he is – a Pelosi/ Obama stooge.
Barber is trying to force the committee into counting those invalid ballots, most of which were from illegal aliens. The same ones that La Raza directed to vote for Grijalva. Estimations are that more than 16,000 were from Pima county.
Well said, Moderate McSally Supporter. Apparently Team Barber hasn’t read the Pima County Recorder’s breakdown of the rejected provisional ballots, because every *lawful* vote has, in fact, been counted and Southern Arizona was heard loud and clear. Shame on the 52 individuals that thought they could vote twice (once by mail-in and once in person) and get away with it; I sincerely hope that the Pima County Attorney holds them accountable. Thank you so much for the link!
Rat T, you apparently do not actually read what we write but create your own impression of what we MIGHT have written had we been you. My comments were entirely about McSally, a person I do not trust, which means that she must be watched to see if she is, indeed trustworthy. Given her actual comments to me and the identities of many of her backers, I fear she will disappoint us. From what she said to me when I was worried about social security and medicare, I believe she will let us down at the least and/or sell us out. On another note, my guess is that the majority of those who oppose the ACA have not bothered to read it nor have the bothered to actually speak to the many many many people it has helped. The ACA needs improvement, of course. Just think about how good it would be now had the obstructionists tried to amend and improve it rather than demolish it.