Democrat Rachel Hunt has taken a 64-vote lead over Republican Bill Brawley in the race for N.C. House seat 103, Mecklenburg elections director Michael Dickerson said Friday night.
The county's Board of Elections counted more than 1,500 mail-in absentee ballots Friday night, which helped Hunt erase a 52-vote deficit, turning it into a 64-vote lead over the incumbent.
The results aren't final, however. Dickerson said the county still has to count provisional ballots next week, before submitting final results to the state by 11 a.m. on Nov. 16.
If Hunt holds on, Democrats will have taken five of six Mecklenburg legislative seats that were held by Republicans. Only one Republican would remain: State Sen. Dan Bishop of Charlotte.
Hunt's campaign issued a statement Friday night saying the updated results show "why it is important to wait for all votes to be counted."
"We are confident that as the remaining ballots are counted Rachel's lead will continue to grow," the statement said.
Through individual contributions and help from the state Democratic Party, Hunt raised more than $1.2 million — making it one of the most expensive house races in the state. District 103 covers southeast Mecklenburg, including parts of Charlotte, and Matthews and Mint Hill.
In another Mecklenburg House race, Democrat Christy Clark's campaign said her lead over Republican incumbent John Bradford had grown, from 333 votes to more than 400 votes.
