Just over a month after Election Day, a pair of races for the U.S. House remain too close to call, with the possibility that the outcomes may not be determined by the time the 117th Congress convenes on January 3.
In Iowa’s Second District, Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks was declared the winner by just six votes out of nearly 400,000 cast, while in New York, ex-Rep. Claudia Tenney was ahead by just 12 votes.
Iowa Republicans expressed outrage this week when the Democratic candidate, Rita Hart, indicated she would ask the U.S. House to determine if her six vote loss was accurate.
It immediately brought back memories of a particularly partisan challenge in Indiana, known as the “Bloody Eighth,” where the Democratic-controlled House did its own investigation, and seated the Democrat, prompting a huge outcry from the GOP.
In a statement, Senators Charles Grassley and Joni Ernst called Hart’s decision an ‘insult’ - while Democrats said if President Trump could make legal challenges while trailing by 7 million votes, it should be okay for a 6 vote margin.
“Rita Hart has chosen a political process controlled by Nancy Pelosi over a legal process controlled by Iowa judges,” Miller-Meeks said.
“The only way to ensure all Iowans’ votes are counted is a full examination of this election by the U.S. House that will consider every ballot cast,” countered Hart.
Meanwhile in New York, the race between Tenney and Rep. Anthony Brindisi (D-NY) seemed headed for court - and maybe the House as well - as the discovery of 55 absentee ballots caused a furor.
Currently, Democrats have won 222 seats in the new Congress - just a few more than a 218 seat bare majority.