By BECKY BOHRER
Associated Press
Alaska state Sen. John Coghill said Monday he will seek a recount in his Republican primary race, which he lost by 14 votes.
A state review board certified Robert Myers Jr. as the winner of the race for Senate District B, with 1,739 votes, compared to 1,725 for Coghill, according to results released by the state Division of Elections.
Coghill, a longtime lawmaker from North Pole who has served in both the House and Senate, told The Associated Press his expectation of changing the result is “really low at this point, but I still think you need to look at it. When it’s this close, there could have been a mishandling or something didn’t get counted properly.”
Coghill is chairman of the Senate Rules Committee and part of Republican-led Senate majority leadership team. Senate President Cathy Giessel, an Anchorage Republican, also lost her primary.
State law permits a defeated candidate or 10 qualified voters who believe a mistake has been made by an election official or by the counting board in tallying the votes to seek a recount.
Other incumbents who lost their races were Reps. Jennifer Johnston and Chuck Kopp, Anchorage Republicans who held leadership posts within a bipartisan House majority composed largely of Democrats; and Republican Reps. Mark Neuman of Big Lake and Sharon Jackson of Eagle River, who were in the House minority. Republican Rep. Gabrielle LeDoux, who did not caucus with either group also lost.
The state earlier this year filed charges accusing LeDoux of voter misconduct and interference with voting related to past elections. She has said she is innocent.
• This is an Associated Press report.
