Johnson Declares Victory in Minnesota House Race by 324 Votes

Jake Johnson declared victory early Wednesday in Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District, where unofficial returns showed the Democratic challenger leading Republican incumbent Brad Finstad by just over 300 votes in a race that remained unsettled and could go to a recount. The narrow margin was reported at different stages of vote counting. At 5:30 a.m., with 99% counted, Johnson led 163,059 to 162,738, a 321-vote advantage. A later Wednesday-morning tally, with all precincts reported, showed Johnson with 163,057 votes, or 49.99%, and Finstad with 162,733, or 49.89%, a margin of 324 votes. The returns were unofficial, and no certified result or completed recount was reported. Finstad’s chief of staff, David FitzSimmons, said Tuesday night that the race was likely headed to a recount. Johnson’s campaign manager, Nik Marda, said late Tuesday that he did not expect a result to be called that night. Minnesota does not conduct recounts automatically. A losing candidate may request a publicly funded recount in a federal race when the margin is less than 0.25% of the vote. Johnson said in an early Wednesday statement that he was ready to work on lowering costs, addressing corruption...