Eat another Doughnut
Mitchell still leads Hayworth
Jon Kamman
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 10, 2006 12:00 AM
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As ballot counting extended into its third day, congressional hopeful Harry Mitchell's lead over Rep. J.D. Hayworth remained virtually unchanged at nearly 6,000 votes.
The Democratic challenger of six-term Republican Hayworth made no claim of victory Thursday, but he appointed a former congressman to help him prepare for setting up offices if he wins.
An updated ballot count at the end of the day put Mitchell ahead of Hayworth by 5,932 votes, or 23 fewer than the day before.
The change came as 5,527 ballots from the 5th Congressional District were counted. The ballots are among about 250,000 that piled up in early voting and are now being processed at the rate of about 25,000 a day.
Hayworth had been hoping that early ballots would favor him heavily, but the latest figures left him at 46.3 percent to Mitchell's 50.4 percent. The remaining votes went to Libertarian Warren Severin.
Mitchell said he isn't jumping the gun by assembling a transition team but is trying to be ready to hire staff and set up offices in the district and Washington, D.C., if he wins.
The former Tempe mayor and state senator said he is going to Washington next week to participate in orientation sessions conducted by the House clerk for newly elected members. Most of the cost is paid with campaign funds, spokesman Seth Scott said.
Mitchell appointed former Congressman Sam Coppersmith, who represented an East Valley district for one term in 1993-95, to head the unpaid transition team.
Updates of ballot counts are to be posted daily after 5 p.m. on the Web sites of the Maricopa County recorder's elections office and the secretary of state.
