Luther awaits recount in 13-vote win over Pope

The margin of victory is 0.16 of 1 percent.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
Although a recount awaits, Brant Luther let out a big sigh of relief with official results showing him with a 13-vote victory in the 61st Ohio House District Republican primary.
The Stark County Board of Elections certified its May 2 primary results Tuesday. When those results are added to votes in the district's three other counties -- Mahoning, Carroll and Tuscarawas -- Luther has 4,016 votes compared with 4,003 for Randy Pope.
Luther's margin of victory is 0.16 of 1 percent. Automatic recounts are done when the margin of victory is 0.5 of 1 percent or less. A recount by each county in the district should be done by Tuesday.
"I'm doing a whole lot better now than I was three weeks ago," said Luther, of Alliance, a former Stark County auditor and Alliance city councilman. "It's been a bit of a roller coaster. An official recount is needed, but I'm confident the numbers will hold up."
'Every vote counts'
This was the closest state legislative race during the May 2 primary.
"This shows that every vote counts," Luther said. "Hoops still need to be jumped through, but I'm moving forward as the nominee. Now the real campaign begins in earnest."
Luther won Stark while Pope, of Alliance, who's also run for this seat in 2002 and 2004, won the district's three other counties.
"I'm hopeful I can pick up those 13 votes in a recount," Pope said. "We're staying in the game until it's totally finished."
Unless the recount changes the outcome, the November general election will have Luther facing Democrat Mark K. Okey of Carrollton.
The seat is being vacated at the end of the year by three-term state Rep. John Boccieri, a New Middletown Democrat running for the 33rd Ohio Senate District seat.
skolnick@vindy.com