It's a Close One Between Oz, McCormick in Pa. Primary

GOP contenders are neck and neck in state's primary, with Kathy Barnette now out of the race
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted May 18, 2022 9:04 AM CDT
It's a Close One Between Oz, McCormick in Pa. Primary
Mehmet Oz, a Republican candidate for US Senate in Pennsylvania, visits a car show in Carlisle, Pa., on Saturday.   (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman has won his state's Democratic primary to run for a US Senate seat being vacated by Republican Pat Toomey, but the race to see which GOPer will face off against him is a nail-biter—and it could be a while before the victor is revealed. It appears controversial contender Kathy Barnette is now out of the picture, falling behind her two main competitors by more than 86,000 votes, leaving the showdown between Mehmet Oz, the celebrity TV doctor backed by former President Trump, and ex-hedge fund CEO Dave McCormick—and that race is now "too close to call," per Axios. WPVI reports that, as of Wednesday morning, Oz had captured 411,674 votes, while McCormick had 409,002. Barnette claimed 325,557.

There are relatively few ballots left to count—Axios says it's "just thousands"—but printing errors on mailed-in ballots are slowing down the process, which could be held up for several days. That's not the only possible delay in announcing a decisive victory for either Oz or McCormick. If the difference between the two men is 0.5% difference of the vote or less, state law mandates a recount, the rules of which the Philadelphia Inquirer lays out in detail. If a recount were to come into play, it would have to be held by June 1—the third Wednesday after Election Day, as per the law—and would need to be wrapped up by June 7, the following Tuesday. The losing candidate can also decline the recount if he so desires. (More Pennsylvania stories.)

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