By: Tom Duggan – December 2, 2014
UPDATED 6;20 pm 12/4/14
James Kelcourse has held on to his razor thin lead in the 1st Essex State Rep. race recount that wrapped up on Thursday, showing Keclourse defeated Newburyport Democrat Ed Cameron on election day by 12 votes in a three way race that included Newburyport liberal Ari Herzog who ran as an Independent.
The 1st Essex State Rep. District is comprised of Newburyport, Amesbury, and Salisbury.
Kelcourse was initially declared the winner on election day by 11 votes but Democrat Cameron called for a recount of all three communities.
According to The Valley Patriot’s unofficial count Kelcourse has won by 16 votes but at least four ballots are still being contested by Democrat Ed Cameron who placed second.
The Massachusetts Republican Party issued a statement late Thursday declaring Kelcourse the winner by 12 votes.
“Three days of hand recounts in Newburyport, Salisbury and Amesbury have confirmed Republican James Kelcourse won the election for State Representative from the 1st Essex District by 12 votes on November 4th.
‘On behalf of the Massachusetts Republican Party, I would like to congratulate Representative-elect James Kelcourse on his victory. Throughout this campaign season, Mr. Kelcourse worked hard to spread his message and to win every vote,’ said Kirsten Hughes, MassGOP chairman. ‘Ultimately he won because he ran a positive, issues-based campaign that resonated with the people in the border communities of the 1st Essex District. He is a terrific addition to Beacon Hill and I know he will serve his constituents well.'”
UPDATED 4;00 pm 12/2/14
Jim Kelcourse picked up two votes in Salisbury recount.
UPDATED 6;20 pm 12/2/14
James Kelcourse has held on to his razor thin 13 vote lead in the 1st Essex State Rep. Race recount that resulted in the Amesbury republican defeating Democrat Ed Cameron by only 11 votes on Election Day.
Cameron called for a recount in all three communities of the 1st Essex District, those communities are Newburyport, Amesbury, and Salisbury.
While Salisbury and Amesbury will hold their recounts Wednesday and Thursday, Newburyport election officials held a day long recount Tuesday resulting in Ed Cameron picking up one vote in Ward 6, and two votes in ward 4, cutting Kelcourses lead to seven.
Kelcourse, however picked up a vote on Plum Island, and four votes in Ward 3 bringing the Republican win to 13 votes.
UPDATED 2:30PM, 12/2/14
In Ward 4 of Newburyport, Democrat Ed Cameron picked up 2 votes cutting Republican Jim Kelcourse’s lead to 14 with more than half the Newburyport ballots recounted.
UPDATED 1PM, 12/2/14
With half the wards and precincts recounted in Newburyport’s 1st Essex State Rep. race Republican Jim Kelcourse has picked up 6 votes against Democrat Ed Cameron giving him a lead of 16 votes. Newburyport was Kelcourse’s weakest precinct on election day but the remaining wards to be counted were among his strongest in the city.
Kelcourse picked up 2 votes in the Plum Island Ward of the Newburyport recount and 4 votes in Ward 3 by the lunch break at 1pm.
UPDATED 12PM
The election may be over for the candidates of the 2014 Massachusetts state elections but for the people of Amesbury, Salisbury, and Newburyport, the identity of their next state representative still hangs in the Balance.
Republican State Rep. candidate and Amesbury City Councilor James Kelcourse won the contest at the final count on Election Day by only 11 votes.
The official Election Day tally shows;
Kelcourse with 6,971 to Cameron’s 6,962.
One provisional vote was disallowed after the election, leaving Kelcourse only ten votes ahead of Democrat opponent Ed Cameron of Newburyport. Cameron called for a recount in all three communities, Newburyports recount is taking place Tuesday. Amesbury and Salisbury will hold their recounts Wednesday and Thursday respectively.