Democrats pick up House seat in Spokane, Ahern's loss confirmed in recount

Breaking news this afternoon from the heart of the Inland Empire: John Driscoll, the Democratic challenger in the 6th Legislative District, has prevailed over incumbent Republican John Ahern, a just completed recount shows.

Here's the official announcement from the Auditor:

The Spokane County Elections Department has completed the mandatory hand recount of ballots in the 6th Legislative District race between John Driscoll and John Ahern.

The total number of ballots counted, 75,947, was the same as in the original count. The margin between the two candidates shrunk by two votes giving Driscoll a 72 vote win over Ahern. The original count had Driscoll leading by 74 votes.

The total vote count was Driscoll 35,106 and Ahern 35,034. Those numbers will be certified at 11:00 am, Friday, December 5, 2008 in the Spokane County Elections Office.

The recount process was watched by official observers from both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party and by a representative of the Washington Secretary of State’s Office.

Driscoll's close win is good news for the House Democratic caucus, which has already lost Representative Don Barlow and the open seat left by retiring House Judiciary Chair Pat Lantz, plus a few other close races where Democratic challengers came close to knocking off Republican incumbents but couldn't seal the deal.