Rep. Mia Love, R-Utah, the first black Republican congresswoman, was narrowly trailing her Democratic challenger Ben McAdams by just over 1,000 votes as of Tuesday afternoon, edging the race for Utah’s 4th Congressional District closer to a recount.
During his press conference after the midterm elections last week, Trump mocked her, saying that that Love “gave me no love.” He added: “And she lost. Too bad. Sorry about that Mia.”
Although McAdams was ahead by approximately 5,000 votes as of Monday, the margin between the candidates has shrunk to 1,020 votes. According to the New York Times, McAdams obtained 50.2 percent, or 110,405 votes, while Love received 49.8 percent, or 109,385 votes, with 82 percent of precincts reporting results.
Despite the tight race, Love cannot request a recount yet since Utah law requires that a recount only be requested if the margin between candidates is 0.25 percentage points or less. But her campaign is optimistic about the recent developments, and another update is expected later Tuesday afternoon. “The numbers are moving in the right direction and we are diligently watching for additional results,” Love’s campaign manager Dave Hansen said, per the Salt Lake Tribune.
McAdams’ campaign manager did not respond to a request for comment from the Salt Lake Tribune. Love, the first black female Republican in Congress, was first elected in 2014. A Haitian-American, she is a Mormon convert.
