Madrid gains ground, but it won’t likely be enough

As the counting of ballots drags on in Bernalillo County, Democrat Patricia Madrid is gaining on U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., but it’s increasingly looking like it’s too little, too late.

About 20 percent of more than 3,700 provisional ballots were disqualified Wednesday but, later in the day, 616 in-lieu-of ballots went to Madrid, compared to 293 for Wilson.

Wilson now has a 1,164-vote lead, according to the Associated Press.

Left to count are 1,494 provisional ballots, 71 in-lieu-of ballots and about 420 “in suspense” ballots. Those 420 ballots will almost all likely be tossed out, Bernalillo County Clerk Mary Herrera told the Albuquerque Journal.

According to the newspaper’s analysis, if all the remaining ballots – including those Herrera says will likely be tossed out – are counted, Madrid would have to get 79 percent of the remaining votes to win.

If the remaining ballots keep going her way at the rate of those counted Wednesday, Madrid won’t win, but she may be close enough to request a recount. At this point, that might be Madrid’s best bet.