WASHINGTON — David Blair is still weighing his options.
In an email blast to supporters, Blair — who ran for Montgomery County executive in the Democratic primary — said, “We anticipate in the next few days we will request the Board of Elections to perform a full recount.”
But, in an interview with WTOP, Blair said his campaign is still considering whether to petition for a recount.
After the vote was certified by the Montgomery County Board of Elections on Monday night, Blair trailed Montgomery County Council member Marc Elrich by 79 votes. That doesn’t give him the narrow margin to ask for a recount without having to pay for it. Under state law, the difference would have to come to 0.1 percent of the votes cast.
So, the decision on petitioning for a recount remains up in the air. For now.
“We’re torn,” Blair said, adding that it may be in the best interest of the Democratic Party to move on to focus on the general election. “On the other hand, making sure that every vote is counted is really the hallmark of democracy.”
Blair said he remains concerned about the possible impact from the computer coding error at the Motor Vehicle Administration that meant thousands of voters across the state had to vote on provisional ballots. Blair said his campaign has heard from several voters who say their votes were thrown out during the canvass process at the county elections board.
“I think they’ve done a remarkable job under a lot of pressure,” Blair said, regarding the canvassing taking place at the Montgomery County board.
But, he added, “They can only do the best that they can do with the data that they have.”
Blair said he’s been leaning toward asking for a recount, but continues to wait to see what his team turns up in analyzing the results.
Robin Ficker ran unopposed in the Republican race for county executive. County Council member Nancy Floreen has launched a bid to run as an independent. In Maryland, she’d appear on the ballot as “unaffiliated.”
Here’s a copy of the email blast to Blair supporters:
