Since I had last posted on Hubert Vo,
Daily Kos :: Let's Help First Time Candidate Hubert Vo--He's Getting the Full DeLay, not too much has happened--above the water line, that is. I am convinced that the power-hungry GopPig that he beat, Van Heflin, is still trying to sort out how to snatch the seat back.
I wrote to the Harris County Clerk, Beverly Kaufman (R) about this, and she sent me back a curt and snotty response telling me not to "jump to conclusions."
Hubert Vo is the newly elected state congressman near my home district in Houston. I think he may have a few more mountains to climb to take his seat in Austin. The following is from the Houston Chronicle:
HoustonChronicle.com - Heflin may challenge Democrat Vo's 31-vote win:
"'It's not over yet,' Vo said. 'I am proud of the results. I feel at ease. But this is going to be a short feeling, because I know there are some process and procedures that my opponent will take advantage of.'
Whatever happens, Vo said, he believes he will prevail.
To be continued.
Lawyers for Heflin, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, have not yet decided to seek a recount.
'We are vigorously pursuing all of our options,' said Andy Taylor, who is representing Heflin. 'We are examining instances where illegal votes were wrongfully counted and instances where legal votes were incorrectly discarded.'
The deadline for requesting a recount will be sometime during the week of Thanksgiving.
Heflin did not return a phone call seeking an interview. But his campaign spokesman, Craig Murphy, said Heflin remained even-tempered.
'He's exactly the same, he's very mild-mannered and as matter and fact, and business-oriented as he always has been,' said Murphy, who called Heflin with the final results about midnight Monday when they were reported.
Taylor said Heflin's camp wants to learn all of the facts and circumstances surrounding both the tallying of the absentee and provisional votes before they make a decision to request a recount of electronic votes.
Vo was ahead by 38 votes before mail-in and provisional ballots, cast by voters who could not prove their eligibility when they went to the polls, were counted.
A recount, however, is not a necessary prerequisite to contest the election. Heflin has until Dec. 8 to do that. The election would then be thrown to the House of Representatives, which could either seat Vo or overturn the election and require a new vote.
There have been several contested elections in the Texas House in recent years, but none has reversed the outcome. Most were withdrawn.
Buck Wood, one of several lawyers observing the Harris County vote canvass on Vo's behalf, said Heflin's case posed a potential public relations 'nightmare' for Republicans."