Rep. Ortiz fighting for manual recount in Texas

A decision on whether or not to grant Rep. Solomon Ortiz's (D-Texas) request for a manual recount might come as early as Wednesday from state elections officials in Texas. 

The longtime incumbent has refused to concede to Republican Blake Farenthold, who leads Ortiz by 799 votes. 

On Tuesday, Ortiz officially filed a request for a manual recount, which could take a couple of weeks to complete if granted. The secretary of state's office has 48 hours to decide whether or not to grant the request, according to the AP. 

"Congressman Ortiz wants to ensure that the votes of the people of South Texas be counted accurately and that no vote be left out," a spokesman for the Democrat said Tuesday in a statement. 

Farenthold has already declared victory, and he called again on Tuesday for Ortiz to concede. 

The race is one of several congressional contests that might end up in recounts. Reps. Tim Bishop (D-N.Y.) and Bob Etheridge (D-N.C.) are also seeking recounts in their races.  

In Kentucky, Republican Andy Barr has asked for a recanvass of votes in his loss to Rep. Ben Chandler (D-Ky.).