Taegan Goddard's Political Wire

November 23, 2004

Every Vote Matters

Control of Montana's House of Representatives has apparently come down to two votes in one legislative district, according to the Billings Gazette. Pending a recount later this month, it appears a third-party candidate has defeated his Democratic opponent by just two votes. (The Republican candidate was a distant third.) Because no one really knows who's going to prevail in the recount, both candidates are at the orientation this week for newly-elected members.

If the result holds, Republicans will control Montana's House by just one vote. If the recount changes the result, the House will be tied 50-50 and Democrats will elect the Speaker, since the newly-elected governor is a Democrat.

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Taegan D. Goddard is the creator of Political Wire, a political column updated around the clock with the most interesting news, buzz and commentary.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country, including the Washington Post, USA Today, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer and Christian Science Monitor.

This is a personal site and does not necessarily reflect the views of any company, political campaign or advocacy group.

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