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Republican Larry Quintal is calling for a recount after Democrat Lisa Field appears to be ahead of him by just 21 votes.
Democrat Lisa Field declared victory after narrowly defeating her opponent to represent Taunton and Easton in the State House, according to unofficial election results. Her opponent, a sitting Taunton city councilor, is calling for a recount.
The 3rd Bristol District seat, which represents parts of the two municipalities, was previously held by state Rep. Carol Doherty. She died earlier this year from pancreatic cancer at age 82.
Republican Larry Quintal, who is also a funeral home director, is calling for a recount after Field appears to be ahead of him by just 21 votes. Field won in Easton with 74 votes over Quintal, while Quintal won in Taunton with 53 more votes, according to results from the town clerks.
Field, a union leader, celebrated the win on Facebook Tuesday night, thanking her campaign and volunteers. Field told the Taunton Daily Gazette that to win her first election, she knocked on thousands of doors.
“Thank you to every single person who poured their time, energy, and heart into this campaign, this victory belongs to all of us,” Field wrote. “Thank you to the voters of the 3rd Bristol District for your trust and belief in what we’re building together.”
A spokesperson for Quintal confirmed the campaign is advocating for a recount. The state Republican Party said on X that there are “at least” 83 mail-in Quintal ballots “left to be counted” to overcome Quintal’s 21-vote deficit.
The results will be certified no less than 15 days after the election, according to a spokesperson with the Office of Secretary of the Commonwealth. A candidate can petition for a recount of a ward or precinct or of the entire district. For Quintal to petition for a district-wide recount, 38 registered voters must sign and the difference between the candidates must be less than .5 percent of the total votes cast, the spokesperson said.
The total votes cast in Taunton and Easton was 5,156, and 21 votes of that is .4 percent. The spokesperson said the district-wide recount can only be ordered after the results are certified to ensure the difference is less than .5 percent.
“We are going to make sure every vote is counted and we are going to pursue a recount,” Quintal’s spokesperson told Boston.com.
Field told the Gazette that “it was a small margin.”
“We stand by what the final count is,” she said. “We’re confident that will be the count at the end of the day, but he’s within his rights to ask for a recount.”
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