Is the election over? Not in every race

ALBUQUERQUE —  More than a week after Republican Rep. Heather A. Wilson claimed a razor-thin election victory, her Democratic challenger conceded Tuesday, saying a recount would cost too much and there was no guarantee it would reverse the result.

In Ohio, Rep. Jean Schmidt, a Republican, clinched reelection Tuesday. Additional ballot counts gave her an insurmountable edge of about 3,200 votes over Democratic challenger Victoria Wulsin.

New Mexico’s Wilson won by 875 votes -- the final tally showed the five-term congresswoman with 105,921 votes to 105,046 votes for Democrat Patricia Madrid, the state attorney general.

The difference was less than one-half of 1%, which in some states would have triggered an automatic recount, but New Mexico does not have an automatic recount law. Madrid could have requested a recount, but she would have had to pay for it, and she estimated a districtwide recount could reach $300,000.

A handful of other House races remained unresolved:

* North Carolina: Rep. Robin Hayes, a Republican, led Democrat Larry Kissell by about 330 votes during a recount Tuesday, which was requested by Kissell.

* Ohio: Rep. Deborah Pryce, a member of the House Republican leadership, led Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy by 3,717 votes Tuesday amid a count of provisional ballots.

* In Florida, state officials certified Republican Vern Buchanan the winner over Democrat Christine Jennings by 369 votes.

Jennings contested the election Monday, arguing touch-screen voting machines had malfunctioned and asking a judge to order a new election.

* Rep. William J. Jefferson (D-La.), the subject of an FBI bribery investigation, will face fellow Democrat Karen Carter in a Dec. 9 runoff, and Rep. Henry Bonilla (R-Texas), will face Democratic former Rep. Ciro Rodriguez in a Dec. 12 runoff.