Columbus Dispatch: Kilroy counting on uncounted ballots (Dem House Majority may swell to 257)

[usregimechange]

Since the morning after the Nov. 4 election, newly counted votes have expanded Republican congressional candidate Steve Stivers' lead over Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy from 149 votes to 594.

So why is Kilroy the candidate who's smiling?

The Franklin County commissioner who also ran for Congress in 2006 expects to make up her 594-vote deficit -- and then some -- when thousands of absentee, provisional, military and overseas ballots from Franklin County are added to the final count.

She has some reason to be optimistic, according to an analysis by The Dispatch. But don't count out Stivers, a state senator in only his second run for elected office.

Nearly 300,000 votes have been counted in the 15th Congressional District, which includes all of Madison and Union counties and western Franklin County, including most of Columbus. Stivers' lead widened slightly when Republican-leaning Madison and Union counties finished counting their late absentee and provisional votes this month.

Kilroy is banking on Franklin County, where she beat Stivers by nearly 12,000 votes among those already counted and where more than 37,000 ballots wait to be tallied.

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/11/30/copy/15th_RACE.ART_ART_11-30-08_B1_GAC31IU.html?type=rss&cat=&sid=101

:fistbump:

[rpannier]

1. Thanks for sharing

[riqster]

2. Kilroy has been playing this one smart

...and she is a very shrewd and savvy politico.

Having Brunner as SOS has also helped keep the corrupt Franklin County BOE in check, which may make a difference this time.