Democrats have failed to overturn one of the contested seats in the Virginia House of Delegates, making the Republican takeover of the state’s lower legislative chamber official.
A three-judge panel in Virginia Beach confirmed the final tally between incumbent Alex Askew (D) and Karen Greenhalgh (R).
Per WAVY:
Greenhalgh was named the winner with a total of 14,285 votes. Her opponent, Alex Askew, received 14,170 votes. Her win confirms that the Republicans will take control of the General Assembly next year.
Neither candidate was in attendance in court on Friday.
The initial results had Greenhalgh with a lead of 127 votes in a race where more than 28,000 people voted. The margin was within the threshold of .5% to qualify for a state-funded recount.
Jeff Marks, chair of the Board of Elections, said Thursday night that about 37,000 city-wide early votes were still being sorted for those relevant to the 85th District, which includes western portions of the city including Kempsville and the Town Center areas.