(The Center Square) – Ohio is home to one of the closest races too close to call as Democrats and Republicans continue to wait to see who will control the U.S. House of Representatives.
Incumbent Democrat Marcy Kaptur, a four-decade House veteran and the chamber’s longest-serving woman, led Republican state Rep. Derrick Merrin by 0.32% as of Friday morning with 100% of the votes reported in the Toledo-area district.
The secretary of state’s website shows Kaptur’s lead at 1,193 votes. Libertarian candidate Tom Pruss received 14,799 votes.
Kaptur claimed victory in the race Wednesday, but it remains too close for media organizations to call.
Ohio law requires an automatic recount if a race is closer than 0.5%. Official results are not expected for about three weeks when Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose certifies the official vote totals.
LaRose said Thursday there were 137,879 provisional ballots cast statewide, and boards of elections across the state will be open Saturday during specific hours to help voters reconcile provisional ballots.
Voters who submitted a provisional ballot and provided acceptable proof of identity at the polls typically don’t need to provide additional identification to the board of elections, but provisional voters often need to provide proof of residency or citizenship or that a previously requested absentee ballot wasn’t already returned.
The Ohio race could play a key role in which party controls the House.
As previously reported by The Center Square, Republicans are on track to control all three branches of government for the first time since President-elect Donald Trump won the White House in 2016.
Although many votes are left to be counted and final results likely won’t be known for days or weeks, analysts generally agree that Republicans are favored to take the House of Representatives.