The Associated Press and other media outlets called the U.S. House race for the 3rd congressional district in Washington in favor of Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez over Republican Joe Kent Sunday morning, with a majority of votes in.
Perez, in the Sunday poll, was leading by just over 4,600 votes. The Seattle Times reported there are at least 15,000 votes left.
As Perez declared herself the winning candidate, Kent said he would not concede if ballots were left not counted. He also encouraged voters to ensure that they had their votes verified. According to Kent, approximately 6000 ballots have to be processed.
“What the media claims is not relevant, it's a different story designed to prevent people from voting and to pressure me into a concession which is not going to occur. We're in the streets, voting. The battle continues while the talk show hosts discuss. Check your power dry and check your ballot.” Kent tweeted Sunday morning.
FightThirtyEight included Kent as an Army Special Forces veteran and America First candidate, favored to be a winner by 98 percent.
A victory for Perez could be a reversal by Democrats in an area that has been Republican for over 10 years.
Perez was the leader on election night, however Kent was steadily getting closer to the top.
Perez said the race was a “bellwether” for the direction of the country . She also said that Kent was speaking out for “some of the darkest impulses in our politics.”
As Perez tried to label Kent an “extremist,” the auto body shop Perez owned along with her husband, offered support for free to Antifa protesters in Washington, according to Breitbart News.
