Republican Reeves not declaring victory in Va. Senate race

But don’t include Reeves among those already assuming victory. Campaign manager Chris Leavitt said they’re going to wait before they anoint themselves the winner.

The Associated Press has not called the race with Reeves holding on by just 0.2 percent of the votes.

“We’re confident that the votes are going to stand but obviously there’s a process that needs to take place here,” Leavitt said Wednesday morning. Precincts in the 17th Senate district are expected to tally the remaining provisional ballots on Wednesday.

GOP Chairman Pat Mullins released a statement Tuesday night congratulating Reeves and Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and referencing a successful two-seat Republican pickup in the Senate, despite uncertainty in the Reeves race. Republicans needed to net three seats to flip the Senate and two seats to force a 20-20 tie that would give them effective control of the chamber because Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, a Republican, holds the tiebreaker.

“It was a close race, but Bryce ran a great campaign, and I look forward to seeing him continue his career in the General Assembly for many years to come,” Mullins said.

Republican Sen. Bill Stanley defeated Democratic Sen. Roscoe Reynolds to give the GOP its only seat gain of the night. It would increase to two if Reeves wins.

But that’s not likely to become official until after a recount, assuming Houck pursues that route. Recounts are not automatically triggered, but a candidate can challenge the results if the final vote is within 1 percent. If it’s within half a percent (which it is), localities pick up the tab for the recount.

A recount can’t take place until the State Board of Elections certifies the results on Nov. 28.

Houck’s campaign could not be reached for comment, but Leavitt said Reeves would “welcome” the recount process and “absolutely” every vote should be counted to verify the results.