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From the diaries -- kos)
The hand recount of votes in the Montana state house district 12 (Polson, in Lake County) has resulted in a tie. The Constitutional party candidate, Rick Jore, received 1,559 votes while the Democractic candidate, Jeanne Windham received exactly the same. The Republican candidate finished a distant third. Jore had won the house district initially by just 2 votes, giving the Republicans a 50-49-1 majority in the state house.
What happens next promises to be very strange.
In a tie, (if I understand it correctly from unclear news reports) the governor will get to appoint the representative for that house district. But the governor is still Judy Martz, a republican, until 10AM January 3rd, 2005.
The democratic candidate Jeanne Windham has protested 5 ballots counted for Jore, which appear to be double marked, and has insisted that they be thrown out, giving her a 5 vote victory. Windham has filed suit to prevent Secretary of State Bob Brown (R), the losing gubanatorial candidate, from certifying the election until a court can examine the disputed ballots. The recount committee was composed of two republicans and one democrat.
Republicans view this as a delaying tactic, waiting for governor elect Brian Schweitzer (D) to take office and legally appointing Windham, giving democrats control of the state house for the first time in 11 years.
In other news, the republican legislative caucus lectured lieutentant governor elect John Bohlinger (R), with some republicans calling him a traitor, and worse a democrat, for running on the same ticket as Brian Schweitzer. The state republican party has filed an campaign practices protest, since dissmissed, that running a split ticket was an illegal campaign practice. The republicans have stopped short of throwing Bohlinger out of the party.
Bohlinger is that rare political animal, a progressive republican and is not well liked by the right wing nut crowd.
In the meantime, a recently elected republican state senator has resigned, and Bohlinger's defeated opponent for lieutentant governor, Dave Lewis has been appointed by local county commissions to take his place. This will ensure the Lewis's sometimes rabid politcal views will continue to be injected into the public discourse this legislative season. During the campaign, Lewis was compared to Dick Cheney while Bob Brown was compared to George Bush.
Whatever the outcome of the legislative dispute, Montana has not had so much political excitement in years. And every vote counts.