Politics & Government
Dovilla Hangs onto Lead in Ohio House Race
Republican incumbent retains 7th District seat, final election figures show
State Rep. Mike Dovilla's lead got slimmer, but the incumbent 7th District representative has held onto his post, according to official results from the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections.
The results, released Tuesday evening, show Dovilla bested Democratic challenger Matt Patten by 119 votes.
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Dovilla ended Election Night 340 votes ahead.
The Board of Elections Tuesday certified results from the Nov. 6 general election, including late-arriving absentee ballots and up to 1,930 provisional votes cast in the 7th House District.
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Dovilla told Strongsville Patch after the Nov. 6 election he was "cautiously optimistic" he would retain the lead after the provisional votes were counted.
"We think it will break our way," Dovilla said.
Because the margin is less than one-half of 1 percent, it appears there will be a recount in the race.
If the numbers stand up, the Republican incumbent will serve a second term. Patten served one term in the statehouse from 2009-2010.
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