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Mark Zdechlik

Mills to seek recount in 8th District Congressional race

Stewart Mills addresses his supporters.
Republican Stewart Mills addresses supporters shortly after Minnesota polls closed as he arrived at a brewery in for his election night rally Nov. 8 in Nisswa, Minn.
Jim Mone | AP

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Republican Stewart Mills says he wants a hand recount of votes in the 8th Congressional District race he narrowly lost to U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan earlier this month. Of the vote, Mills said there are some, "real head scratchers in there."

According to the unofficial results on the Minnesota Secretary of State's website, Mills lost the Democratic incumbent by 2,009 votes. It was a hard-fought race, considered one of the most competitive congressional contests in the nation.

Mills said he's directed his attorney to request a recount immediately following Tuesday's expected certification of the election results by the State Canvassing Board in St. Paul. With such close results Mills said, "There can be a difference if there is a hand recount."

In an interview Monday, Mills said that it's odd he dramatically under-performed President-elect Donald Trump. Mills says about 12,500 voters in the 8th district choose Trump but then jumped from the GOP to vote for Nolan.

"There seem to be a lot of things that should not be in existence on some ballots," Mills said, adding that he wants to make sure voting machines read the ballots properly.

If Tuesday's certified results fall outside of one-quarter of 1 percent, Mills would be required to pay for a recount. He was unsure of the cost, but estimated it at under $100,000.

In 2014, Nolan defeated Mills by less than 1.5 percentage points.

Nolan's campaign could not immediately be reached for comment.

Correction (Nov. 29, 2016): A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the results margin at which Mills would be required to pay for a recount. This story has been updated.