The Latest: Kim says he wins; MacArthur says votes still out
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — The Latest on the midterm election in New Jersey (all times local):
9:05 p.m.
Democratic congressional candidate Andy Kim is declaring victory in New Jersey, but his opponent, Republican Rep. Tom MacArthur, says there are still votes to count.
The Associated Press has not called the race in the 3rd Congressional District in southern New Jersey.
Kim told supporters at his headquarters in Mount Laurel on Wednesday that he emerged the winner in Tuesday’s election. Unofficial returns showed Wednesday he was leading by more than 2,000 votes.
But MacArthur said in a statement that there were nearly 7,000 votes left to be counted.
Election officials said earlier Wednesday they anticipated counting provisional ballots but could not specify how many there were.
Democrats flipped three GOP-held House seats on Tuesday. If they win in the 3rd District as well, they would control 11 out of New Jersey’s 12 House seats in the next Congress.
___
5:15 p.m.
Election officials are continuing their count in New Jersey’s unsettled 3rd Congressional District, with the latest returns showing Democrat Andy Kim taking a slight lead over Republican incumbent Rep. Tom MacArthur.
Unofficial Burlington County returns posted late Wednesday show Kim with a more than 2,000 vote lead over the two-term incumbent. MacArthur led by a similar margin earlier.
But officials have said they are still planning to count provisional ballots and additional mail-in ballots postmarked by election day that continue to arrive.
The district spans the Philadelphia suburbs in the west and includes part of the New York media market in Ocean County.
The AP has not called the race. It was among the most closely watched in the country.
Democrats have captured at least 10 of 12 House seats.
___
12:45 p.m.
Election officials in the Democratic-leaning part of New Jersey’s too-close-to-call 3rd Congressional District say they’re counting vote-by-mail ballots.
Burlington County Board of Election Chairman Joe Dugan says there were about 26,000 mailed-in ballots.
Republican Rep. Tom MacArthur is seeking his third term against Democratic newcomer Andy Kim.
The district includes Philadelphia suburbs in the west and sits in the New York media market in the east.
Dugan says about 20,000 have been counted so far with about 6,000 left to be tallied Wednesday. Those ballots have not been included in results that so far show MacArthur has a roughly 2,000-vote lead.
In the GOP-leaning part of the district, Ocean County Board of Election official Jason Varano says roughly 31,000 mail-in ballots are already reflected in results posted online.
Officials say provisional ballots also remain to be counted.
___
6: 50 a.m.
Democratic-leaning New Jersey has turned a deeper shade of blue.
Tuesday’s election led Democrats to pick up at least three House seats from Republican control. Incumbent Sen. Bob Menendez also fended off a well-funded GOP challenger.
The Democratic pickups mean the party will control at least 10 of the state’s 12 House districts and both Senate seats. Democrats also have a majority in the state Legislature and hold the governorship — both of which were not on the ballot Tuesday.
Republican incumbent Rep. Leonard Lance in New Jersey’s 7th District was ousted by Tom Malinowski, a former State Department official under Barack Obama.
Democrat Mikie Sherrill defeated Assemblyman Jay Webber in the open 11th District.
State Sen. Jeff Van Drew defeated his staunchly pro-Donald Trump rival Seth Grossman the 1st District.