Democrat in highly contested Virginia House race seeks recount

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Kimberly Pope Adams, the Democratic candidate in a central Virginia House of Delegates race that remains uncalled by The Associated Press, is seeking a recount.

Adams said in a statement Thursday that the election results, which show just 78 votes separating Adams and GOP incumbent Kim Taylor, “are far too close for anyone to declare outright victory.”

“The people of the 82nd House District deserve to know with absolute certainty who is the winner of this race and Virginia law affords them that right. For that reason, I am seeking a recount of the vote,” Adams said.

Taylor, who has served in the House since 2022, previously declared victory. The competitive 82nd District covers Petersburg, Surry County and parts of Prince George and Dinwiddie counties.

The outcome of the race won’t have implications for the balance of power in the House. Democrats secured a narrow majority on Election Day and are on track to have either 51 or 52 seats in the 100-seat chamber come January.

Virginia doesn’t have automatic recounts. Candidates can request, and pay for, recounts if the margin between the top two candidates is 1 percentage point or less. Recounts are paid for by the government if the margin is less than 0.5 percentage points.

The AP will not call the race until the recount is complete.