Democratic challenger for U.S. District 23, Gina Ortiz Jones, says the race with Republican Congressman Will Hurd is still "too close to call' and says the votes are still being counted.
With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Hurd had a 689 vote lead as of 4:30 p.m. Wednesday. At about 1:30 a.m., Ortiz Jones was shown with a 282 vote margin ahead of Hurd. More than 200,000 votes were cast in the congressional district election.
Gina Ortiz Jones' campaign released this statement Wednesday afternoon, which reads, "“This election is not over—every vote matters and must be counted. Gina’s campaign has been powered by grassroots energy from day one, and we won’t stop working until every provisional ballot, absentee ballot, and military or overseas ballot has been counted.”
If Ortiz Jones calls for a recount, she'd be required to pay out of pocket and it could cost upwards of $100,000.
According to the Texas Secretary of State's office, there was a data entry error in Medina County that resulted in a delay of the correct vote totals being available. There was also an error with the data from Culberson County, where Gina Ortiz Jones received 471 votes. The county entered 922 votes in the portal, and the Secretary of State's office said the number should be updated by Thursday.
The process for requesting a recount is outlined here.
Hurd is fighting to win a third term in the U.S. House of Representatives representing the 23rd district, which stretches from San Antonio to the border and west to El Paso.
Earlier in the evening, it appeared that Hurd had the votes needed, so he thanked his supporters for the win.
Both candidates visited KENS 5 less than two weeks before Election Day to discuss their positions.
PREVIOUSLY: Will Hurd visits KENS 5 to talk Texas issues
