Ariz. Dem loses lawsuit ahead of recount

The campaign for Rep. Ron Barber (D-Ariz.) lost a lawsuit it filed just days ago with a federal district court seeking to force two counties in Arizona to include the 133 ballots the campaign says were legally cast but have been erroneously disqualified.

{mosads}Cindy Jorgenson, a U.S. district court judge in Tucson, notified the Barber campaign of her ruling on Thanksgiving Day.

“While we are disappointed in the court’s decision, we remain committed to ensuring that Southern Arizonans are able to trust the integrity of this election, and we thank the voters who not only took the time to vote in this election, but who came forward to ask that their voices be heard,” Barber campaign manager Kyle Quinn-Quesada said in a statement.

Barber trails Republican Martha McSally by only 161 votes in the race to represent Arizona’s 2nd District. The race will go to a recount next month after the Secretary of State certifies the results.

The Barber campaign has been arguing that 133 provisional ballots were wrongly disqualified and should be included in the vote total before the recount. They’ve petitioned the board of supervisors in two counties to delay certifying vote counts to allow for time to consider the disputed ballots, but lost both appeals.

They’ve vowed to continue fighting to include the ballots at every stage of the recount.

“We look forward to an open and transparent recount that will allow all Arizonans to have confidence in the final outcome of the election,” Quinn-Quesada said.