Rep. Mia Love, R-Utah, expanded her lead over Democratic opponent Ben McAdams Monday morning and edged toward victory after a new trove of votes came in.
After a new batch of votes from Utah County emerged, Love leads McAdams by 1,516 votes — 0.58 percent — in her bid for a third term in office. The margin for a mandatory recount is 0.50 percent.
The race must be certified by Tuesday as votes remain outstanding in Salt Lake County, where McAdams leads the incumbent Republican. Love had been trailing in the race until the weekend when she overtook McAdams.
While Love leads, she was counted out by President Trump after she trailed the day after Election Day. Despite not all the votes having been counted, he argued that she lost because she showed him “no love.”
“Mia Love gave me no love and she lost,” Trump said during a lengthy press conference in which he castigated a swath of defeated House Republicans. “Too bad. Sorry about that, Mia.”
Love’s campaign had notably distanced itself from Trump and the White House, leading to the swipe back from the commander-in-chief.
Love’s race is one of four contests that remain up in the air nearly two weeks after Election Day, all of which are held by Republicans.
Rep. Rob Woodall, R-Ga., and Rep. Chris Collins, R-N.Y., along with Love, narrowly lead their races. Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., however, trails to Democrat Anthony Brindisi in New York’s 22nd Congressional District by less than a percentage point.
