Chance of Upset Remains in N.C. 8 With Hand Count Set to Begin

[Ron Burgundy]

CQPolitics.com - Voters in North Carolina’s 8th Congressional District will have to wait for a manual inspection of ballots next week to determine who will represent them in the 110th Congress, with four-term Republican Rep. Robin Hayes holding a mere 329-vote lead over Democratic challenger Larry Kissell.
Voters in North Carolina’s 8th Congressional District will have to wait for a manual inspection of ballots next week to determine who will represent them in the 110th Congress, with four-term Republican Rep. Robin Hayes (news, bio, voting record) holding a mere 329-vote lead over Democratic challenger Larry Kissell.

A count of provisional ballots and a machine recount that ended Wednesday revealed that Hayes’ margin diminished by nearly 150 votes since he declared victory over Kissell on Election Night two weeks ago.

Kissell spokesman Steve Hudson said the recount had uncovered ballots with arrows and punched holes that clearly indicated a candidate but had not previously been counted. “It kind of confirms what we’ve been observing, that there are still votes to be counted,” he said.

Johnnie McLean, the chief deputy director of North Carolina’s board of elections, said county elections officials will manually inspect ballots in 3 percent of precincts on Nov. 29 and 30. If the sampling reveals a statistical inconsistency, state officials may decide to pursue a districtwide manual recount.

Even given the tough electoral environment facing Republicans such as Hayes in this election year, the cliffhanger finish represents a stunning achievement for Kissell.

A social studies teacher and former factory worker, Kissell was a distinct underdog who emerged as the Democratic nominee only after the first choice of party insiders quit the race before the May 2 primary. As of Oct. 18, Hayes had outraised Kissell by $2.1 million to $451,000, and the challenger had expended all but $35 of his campaign treasury.

Yet Kissell, running on a platform of economic populism and opposition to the Iraq war, tied Hayes closely to President Bush and became a serious contender for one of the biggest upsets of the year.