On the evening of election night, incumbent Nelson Beaulieu held just a three-vote lead over newcomer Jennah Bosch. The two are running for the last of four positions in the primary behind newcomers Veronica McLaurin-Brown and Dorian Cromartie, and incumbent Judy Justice. Only one candidate won’t move forward to the general election, and it’s been a nail-biter.
On Thursday, the Board of Election approved over a hundred additional absentee and provisional ballots, and the new vote totals flipped the last place positions — with Bosch ahead of Beaulieu, again by just three votes. Then, during today’s canvass, one additional ballot was approved, narrowing Bosch’s lead to two votes.
Now it’s up to Beaulieu. He has until Tuesday, May 31st, at 5 p.m. to request a recount. The incumbent told WHQR he would take a few days to make the decision. Like many who have found themselves in his position in the past, Beaulieu said he thinks he may owe it to voters to ask for the recount given how close the race is.
Meanwhile, Bosch said the last two weeks have been an emotional rollercoaster, but she remains hopeful — and proud of the campaign she’s run so far.
“I’m optimistically hopeful — Nelson, absolutely, should recount I mean, two votes, you know, are two votes. I'm just very happy that I've been able to get out my message about mental health. I think it's very important. Win, lose, or draw, that is the main goal. But you know, I'm looking towards the finish line, I'm looking towards the general, I really think I have a lot to offer. I think that I would work well with the board members. And so you know, I've been waiting for two weeks to see what we can do," she said.
