Partial Recount Changes Little in Allen West-Patrick Murphy Congressional Race

Election officials said they were taking the step "out of an abundance of caution."

A partial recount has given Rep. Allen West a slight lift, though Patrick Murphy remains the unofficial winner.

St. Lucie County recounted three days of early-voting ballots Sunday. Both candidates' vote totals were revised downward as a result of the count, but because West lost fewer votes, it narrowed his margin of loss.

Allen West Refuses to Concede Congressional Race

Murphy held a 50.3 percent share of the ballots, an overall lead of 1,907 votes. That margin of six-tenths of a percentage point is just above the half-percentage point threshold to order a full recount across all three counties in the 18th congressional district.

West's campaign called the recount "a sham" and said all early votes should have been included. They're vowing further legal action.

Judge Denies Injunction in Allen West, Patrick Murphy Race

"What's going on today is a sham. It does nothing to address all the concerns we have," West campaign manager Tim Edson said. "We'll take every legal action necessary."

The race was the country's most expensive House race and one of the most closely watched. The two sides had raised nearly $21 million as of Oct. 17, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, and Super PACs poured in about $6.6 million.

West, 51, is one of only two black Republicans in the House. He had a constant string of headline-grabbing statements, from calling a majority of congressional Democrats communists to saying President Barack Obama, Rep. Nancy Pelosi and others should "get the hell out of the United States."

Murphy, 29, was a political newcomer who portrayed West as an extremist who has done little else in Washington than stoke partisan fires.

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