Margin in Iowa’s second district race down to eight votes

IOWA CITY — The closest congressional race in the country — in Iowa’s second district — is now down to single digits.

The Associated Press and The Quad City Times report Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks leads Democrat Rita Hart by just eight votes. The results of recounted ballots cast in 22 of the 24 counties in the southeast Iowa congressional district have been confirmed. The recount boards in Scott and Clinton Counties are not done yet.

The Miller-Meeks campaign is using the word “unreliable” to describe its view of the Scott County recount and accuses Hart’s team of “gamesmanship.” The Hart campaign said the objection “signifies nothing other than their alarm” from the Miller-Meeks camp that the race is so close.

With such a narrow margin, it’s likely one or both campaigns will ask a judge to review the recount process. That would come after the Iowa Secretary of State certifies statewide election results on Monday.