Stewart Mills (R) says he will seek and pay for a recount in his race with Minnesota Congressman Rick Nolan (DFL). Mills told several media outlets on Monday that he will file for the recount as soon as the canvassing board certifies the election results on Tuesday.
UPDATE: Mills has officially requested the recount. It is expected to start next week and be finished by Dec 12
It's official (or at least on letterhead) #mn08 GOP Mills is requesting a recount. (Background: https://t.co/qyG7xP78Sb) pic.twitter.com/WKGFfISRu6
— R. Stassen-Berger (@RachelSB) November 29, 2016
Because Nolan won by more than one-half of one-percent, Mills will have to pay for the recount unless he wins or if the recount changes the margin between the two candidates by more than one-half of one-percent.
This was the second time Mills has run against Nolan in Minnesota’s eighth congressional district. The first time he lost by 3,732 votes. This time he lost by 2,009 votes. Mills spent about two million of his own fortune in this year’s campaign. A recount will cost around a hundred thousand dollars and he will have to put up a bond before it can proceed.
Nolan campaign manager Joe Radinovich said in a statement “Congressman Nolan is proud that voters in the 8th District elected to send him back to represent them in Washington, D.C.. The Congressman’s relative margin was over twice that of Governor Dayton’s 2010 victory, and it was over twice the threshold established in law. It is evident voters recognized Congressman Nolan as an effective champion of their issues.
“While he has the right to do so, Mr. Mills’ choice to pay for a recount is unprecedented, and it calls into question the integrity of Minnesota’s election system, which is administered through the volunteer efforts of election judges from both parties. We appreciate those efforts, and we expect there will be no change in the outcome.”