Allen West Election Results: GOP Still Won’t Concede, Awaiting Partial Recount

GOP Representative Allen West refuses to concede his race in Florida despite the election results showing a solid lead for his Democratic opponent, Patrick Murphy.

West has requested a full recount for the district but will have to be placated with a partial recount in St. Lucie county, reports Fox News. The freshman congressman was dealt a blow by a Florida judge on Friday as his request to impound ballots and voting machines was denied.

Palm Beach Circuit Judge David Crow stated that West’s motion was “entirely premature” and that the court has no authority to overrule election procedures that are in place and being followed, according to The Boston Herald. Crow stated:

“The law is clear: The manner and method of conducting an election, the process of recounting ballots, the process of contesting an election is specifically a legislative function. Courts should not get involved in the election process.”

Allen West currently trailing Murphy by 2,442 votes, according to the Florida Division of Elections website, which says West currently stands at 164,448 votes while Murphy has 166,890.

While the unofficial count reported to the state on Saturday gave Murphy the win and had a margin that was outside the threshold for a recount, St. Lucie County agreed to a limited recount over concerns that some of the early ballots were processed incorrectly. Election officials announced the step was being taken “out of an abundance of caution.”

Allen West’s campaign has objected to the dates that are being recounted, the absence of a full recount of early ballots,, and also the county’s refusal to turn over some other documentation the campaign has requested. West’s campaign manager, Tim Edson, stated:

“What’s going on today is a sham. It does nothing to address all the concerns we have. We’ll take every legal action necessary.”

Even if the election results remain unchanged by the partial recount in St. Lucie County, Allen West still has the option of contesting the election if misconduct of fraud might have changed its result.