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Outcome still uncertain in 8 House races

Eight House races remain without winners after Tuesday's election, with Republican incumbents in tight contests to keep their seats and state officials not rushing to end the dispute. [!]
HOUSE PRYCE
Rep. Deborah Pryce, an Ohio Republican candidate for Congress, is still awaiting the final results of her midterm election.Kiichiro Sato / AP
/ Source: The Associated Press

Eight House races remain without winners after Tuesday's election, with Republican incumbents in tight contests to keep their seats and state officials not rushing to end the dispute.

Rep. Deborah Pryce, a member of the House Republican leadership, is ahead in her central Ohio race by 3,536 votes. In the Columbus, Ohio-area, elections officials are delaying the count of more than 9,000 provisional ballots by one day so it doesn't disrupt the much-vaunted Ohio State-Michigan football game on Nov. 18.

Elections officials in that district will start counting Nov. 19.

Ohio Republican Rep. Jean Schmidt, who called Democratic Rep. John Murtha a coward, is ahead of her challenger by 2,862 votes. Rep. Barbara Cubin, who threatened to slap her wheelchair-bound Libertarian opponent after a debate, is ahead by fewer than a thousand votes in her Wyoming contest.

Of the eight uncalled races, only one - Joe Courtney's bid against Republican Rep. Rob Simmons in Connecticut - gives a Democratic challenger a lead. In that race, Courtney picked up one vote after the first of 65 town-level recounts was completed, narrowing the gap to 166 votes. Reviews were scheduled through Wednesday to check the other almost quarter million votes cast.

In Georgia, first-term Democratic Rep. John Barrow, facing a rematch against former Republican Rep. Max Burns, leads by fewer than 600 votes.

In Washington state, the results in a historically slow-counting suburban Seattle district showed incumbent Republican Rep. Dave Reichert ahead of challenger Darcy Burner three days after poll-based voting ended. The vast majority of voters cast ballots by mail and they count as long as they were postmarked by Tuesday.

Heavy flooding in the district also forced the relocation of two polling places on Election Day.

Democrats can count on 230 seats in January - including 28 formerly held by Republicans - and they lead in two other races. Republicans have secured 196 seats and lead in seven others. If the current trends do not change, Democrats would have a 232-203 majority.

Other races that remain undecided include North Carolina Rep. Robin Hayes' campaign against Larry Kissell, separated by 449 votes; and New Mexico Rep. Heather Wilson's race, where Democrat Patricia Madrid trails by about 1,600 votes.

A runoff was scheduled in Louisiana between two Democrats - incumbent Rep. William Jefferson and Karen Carter - on Dec. 9. In Texas, Republican Rep. Henry Bonilla will face former Democratic Rep. Ciro Rodriguez in a yet-unscheduled runoff.

In Florida, a recount is set to begin Wednesday in Rep. Katherine Harris' former district. Republican Vern Buchanan has a 373-vote lead and has declared victory over Democrat Christine Jennings. The Associated Press has declared Buchanan the winner.