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Democratic challenger opens door for recount in 82nd House race while incumbent claims victory again [1]
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Date: 2023-11-13
PETERSBURG – The 82nd House District race just went from a whisker to a scalp hair in difference, opening the door for a recount.
Monday afternoon, registrars in Petersburg, Dinwiddie, Prince George and Surry counted their provisional and mail-in ballots. With every single precinct in the district now counted, Republican incumbent Kim Taylor leads Democratic challenger Kimberly Pope Adams by just 74 votes, 14,280 to 14,206.
The percentage difference shows Taylor with 50.05% of the vote to Adams’ 49.79%. Forty-eight write-in votes made up the remaining .17%.
Under Virginia election law, any deficit of 0.5% or less would generate a recount paid for by the state. The Taylor-Adams difference is 0.26%.
Just like on Election Night last week, Taylor did not waste time claiming victory in the race, She immediately issued a statement saying that “the people have spoken, the voices have been counted and we made history again.”
“The Department of Elections concluded what we knew on Election Night: Our campaign won,” she said Monday evening after the provisionals and mail-ins were tabulated. “By focusing on kitchen-table issues like the economy, public safety and education, voters in the 82nd House District rejected the polarizing politics that consumed the rest of Virginia.”
Adams, making her first run for political office, has not decided on a recount.
“Our campaign is closely monitoring the numbers and considering all available options,” she told The Progress-Index Monday night. Adams also said she wanted to thank election officials across the district for “ensuring that every ballot is counted.”
Adams’ 5,500-vote victory margin in traditionally Democratic Petersburg practically offset Taylor wins by 2,350 votes in eastern Dinwiddie County and some 3,200 votes in Prince George County, both Republican-leaning. Surry County was the tightest race – Taylor's Election Night margin of 18 votes went unchanged Monday afternoon from Election Night.
The state Department of Elections will certify the results later this month. People requesting recounts will have up to 10 days after certification to do so.
Taylor was seeking re-election to the seat she defeated Democratic incumbent Lashrecse Aird for two years ago by more than 700 votes. At the time, the 82nd was known as the 63rd District and was far more compact that its current existence.
Aird won election to the state Senate last Tuesday, turning back GOP challenger Eric Ditri with 58% of the vote. She will represent the new 13th Senate District stretching from eastern Dinwiddie to eastern Henrico County, picking up the cities of Petersburg and Hopewell, and the counties of Charles City, Prince George, Surry and Sussex..
Regardless of any recount, the outcome is not expected to affect the majority that Democrats won in the House of Delegates. As of late last week, Democrats held a 51-48 edge before Monday’s results were tabulated. Couple that with the 22-18 Democratic control in the state Senate, and the stage is set for several showdowns between the state Capitol and Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin over the next two years.
Democrats regain House control after two years of Republican rule. Del. Don Scott of Portsmouth will become Virginia’s first Black speaker of the House when the General Assembly convenes next January.
Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) is an award-winning journalist who covers breaking news, government and politics. Reach him at
[email protected] or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @BAtkinson_PI.
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[1] Url:
https://www.progress-index.com/story/news/politics/elections/2023/11/13/victory-margin-in-petersburg-area-house-race-stands-at-74-votes/71575490007/
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