AP: Kratovil Winner Of 1st District Seat
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ/AP) ―
According to the Associated Press, Democrat Frank Kratovil has defeated Republican Andy Harris to win a seat that has been held by the GOP for 18 years in Maryland's tight 1st District congressional race.
With the first of two rounds of absentee ballots counted, Kratovil had 49 percent of the vote to 48 percent for Harris and two percent for Libertarian Richard Davis.
Kratovil's election-night lead of 915 votes more than doubled to 2,003 after the first absentee ballot count was completed Friday.
About 4,800 provisional ballots will be counted Monday and an unknown number of absentee ballots will arrive by mail for a final count Nov. 14, but it would be nearly impossible for Harris to reverse the trend in which he has been losing nine of the 12 counties in the district.
Kratovil said in a statement Friday evening, "I am honored and humbled by the support I've received in this election and am clearly encouraged by where the numbers stand and the subsequent Associated Press announcement. Right now my top priority is making sure that every vote is counted and every voice is heard, and there will be plenty of time for celebration afterwards. In the meantime, I'll continue to make the necessary preparations to ensure for a smooth and seamless transition once all of the votes are counted and the outcome is official."
http://wjz.com/local/district.absentees.2.858564.htmlhttp://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/results/individual/#mapHMD/H/01