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Michigan: With All County Results in, Benishek Declares Victory

Updated: 3:06 p.m.

Surgeon Dan Benishek again declared victory Thursday after the 31 counties of Michigan’s 1st Congressional district finished certifying results from Tuesday’s primary.

On the day after the vote, Benishek led state Sen. Jason Allen by one vote in the Republican race to replace retiring Rep. Bart Stupak, the longtime Democrat who is retiring. That count was unofficial.

Since then, anticipating a recount in the sprawling 31-county district, the secretary of state asked county election boards to speed up their certification process. Otsego was the last county to finish Thursday.

Benishek now leads by 15 votes, according to his campaign. The state board of canvassers has scheduled a meeting for Friday morning to certify the results. Campaigns normally have 48 hours to request a recount after the state board certifies election results, but since it would fall on a Sunday in this case, they’ll have until Monday. Once one campaign asks for a recount, the other has 48 hours to counter it.

Allen’s campaign is mulling its options, according to campaign manager Jeremy Hendges. Though the campaign didn’t notice any major issues on election day, it’s looking for votes that optical scanners may not have picked up, he said.

“We’ll see where we go from here,” he said.

The winner of the Republican primary will face state Rep. Gary McDowell (D) in November. CQ-Roll Call rates this race a tossup.

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