SAN ANTONIO (AP) — A judge has denied Democrat Gina Ortiz Jones’ efforts to extend a deadline for fixing provisional ballots in her race against Republican Congressman Will Hurd.
Hurd has claimed victory and state tallies show him ahead in Texas’ 23rd congressional district by more than 1,000 votes.
Tuesday was the deadline for voters to remedy provisional ballots to ensure they’re counted. State District Judge Stephani Walsh denied Ortiz’s request for another 48 hours.
The sprawling 800-mile district runs from San Antonio to El Paso and is a perennial battleground. Last week, the top elections official in San Antonio told county officials that many provisional ballots are likely ineligible to be fixed.
Democrats this year intensified efforts to reclaim Hurd’s seat after Hillary Clinton carried the district in 2016.
