Schmidt holds precarious lead; race may be close enough to trigger recount

[flpoljunkie]

Schmidt holds slim lead

By Howard Wilkinson
Enquirer staff writer

Republican Jean Schmidt held a precarious lead over Democrat Paul Hackett Tuesday night in a 2nd Congressional District race that has been the focus of national attention – and may not yet be over.

With about 88 percent of the seven-county district’s 755 precincts reporting, Schmidt led Hackett by 893 votes out of nearly 100,000 votes cast. When all votes are tallied, it could be close enough that it may trigger an automatic recount.

Democrats – especially the 250 or so Hackett supporters gathered at the Aronoff Center downtown for what they hoped would be a victory party – were still hoping they could pull off an upset that would shake national politics to its core.

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