A review of absentee ballots and tallies from electronic voting machines confirms that Louisville businessman Matt Bevin leads state Agriculture
Commissioner James Comer by 83 votes.
But Comer can still challenge the results in court. He has until Friday to ask a judge to order a recount. But it will be expensive, and Comer will have to pay for it himself. The state Board of Elections will not certify results until June 9.
Thursday's review appeared to end one of the closest elections in state history. It sets up a race between Bevin and Democratic Attorney General Jack Conway in a rare off-year election that serves as a precursor to the 2016 presidential contest.
In a Thursday press release, Bevin responded to the recanvass results. "It is an honor to be the Republican nominee for Governor. I have tremendous respect for Commissioner Comer and am glad that we went through the recanvass process so that the integrity of our election was validated. In the weeks and months ahead we will be bringing our Blueprint for a Better Kentucky to the voters and we look forward to discussing this detailed plan for job creation," Bevin said.
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State election officials have begun reviewing the results of Kentucky's Republican primary for governor. County boards of elections in eastern time zones began reviewing totals from electronic voting machines and absentee ballots at 9:00 am. Counties in the central time zone began at 10:00 am.
Louisville businessman Matt Bevin leads state Agriculture Commissioner James Comer by 83 votes in one of the closest elections in state history. Comer has not conceded and requested the review, called a recanvass, the day after the election. The review is different from a recount in that it does not examine individual ballots.
Bevin or Comer could ask a judge to order a recount, an expensive process the candidate would have to pay for himself.
