Lee Anderson appeared to defeat Republican rival Rick Allen by an extremely narrow tally Tuesday night in the race to face Augusta Democratic U.S. Rep. John Barrow, but the contest is likely heading for a recount.
With all 19 counties reporting unofficial results, Anderson, the state House member from Grovetown, led Allen, an Augusta construction company CEO, by 153 votes out of more than 27,000 cast. A runner-up can ask for a recount when the certified margin is less than 1 percent, and Allen strategist Chip Lake confirmed in a text message that the campaign will do so.
Voters who cast provisional ballots must confirm their eligibility by Friday at their local board of elections. After those are tallied, the result can be certified, and then a recount can be requested.
"That's a razor-thin margin for a city council race, much less federal office," said Jared Thomas, spokesman for the Georgia secretary of state's office.
The nationally watched race is seen as a prime opportunity for Republicans to gain a House seat, as the district was redrawn to favor the GOP. But the fourth-term Barrow boasts a sizable campaign bank account — just shy of $1.4 million last month — and experience from tight elections past.
Anderson, 55, has held elected office for decades starting on the Columbia County school board, but stressed his work as a farmer more than anything during the campaign. Allen, 60, ran as a political outsider who built a successful construction company.
Anderson won a four-way July 31 primary with 34.2 percent of the vote, while Allen narrowly clinched second place with 25.7 percent. The two defeated candidates — attorneys Wright McLeod and Maria Sheffield — then lined up behind Anderson, as did Gov. Nathan Deal in the race's final days.
Allen tried to use the establishment ties against Anderson, calling him a "career politician" and attacking him for supporting the T-SPLOST sales tax for transportation projects. Anderson's campaign retorted by calling Allen a "government contractor" because his company built schools and libraries, and bringing up his ties to Democrats.
Barrow, 56, has attained notoriety as the last remaining white Democrat in the House from the Deep South states of Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. He christened the general election by releasing his first television advertisement Tuesday, which was in effect a rebuttal to national Republicans' attempts to tie him to President Barack Obama.
In his ad, Barrow says there are times he agrees with Obama, such as on a small-business tax cut bill, and times he disagrees, such as on free trade agreements.
The National Republican Congressional Committee countered with a radio advertisement mentioning Obama's vocal support for Barrow in a 2008 Democratic primary and Barrow's vote against repeal of the 2010 health care law — though Barrow also voted against the original law.
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