Thursday's Republican primary in Tennessee may not be resolved until Aug. 18 as the upset incumbent is refusing to concede even as his opponent has declared victory.
Johnson City Mayor Phil Roe confirmed Friday afternoon that his campaign has not been in touch with first-term Rep. David Davis's campaign since Roe's 500-vote victory. It marks the fourth time this year an incumbent has been defeated in a primary.
The Davis campaign released a terse statement Friday morning, saying: “We want to make sure that every single vote that was cast is counted."
Paul Chapman, Davis’s campaign manager, said the campaign has been in touch with the Tennessee secretary of state Friday, as well as the state Republican Party.
“We’re just advising them on what we’re looking to do,” Chapman said. “We may be talking to them in the next 24 to 48 hours about our options.”
The focus of the talks, Chapman said, has been on what the Davis campaign says was a high number of Democrats who crossed over to vote for Roe. Tennessee has an open primary process, allowing voters of any party to cast a ballot in the primary.
“What we’re doing is that we’re just waiting until every single vote is counted and certified,” said Davis spokesman Ryan Tronovich.
The National Republican Campaign Committee seemed to back Roe Friday, praising him for a history of community service. “Roe ran a grassroots campaign that challenged the status quo and put people before politics,” a brief on the race said. “There is no doubt that he will be the next representative for Tennessee’s 1st district. “
Brook Thompson of the secretary of state’s office said there are no automatic recounts in the state. In order for a recount to occur, Davis would have to formally contest the election with the state Republican Party, which has jurisdiction in these circumstances. Thompson said the deadline for certification of primary results is Aug. 18, meaning that the election results could be held in limbo for another 10 days.
“We respect the congressman’s decision,” said Roe strategist Jamie Osborne. “We view this race as over and have declared victory."
He added that Roe is moving ahead with his general election campaign.
Roe spent Friday morning reaching out to Davis supporters, and has publicly thanked the congressman for his service.
But his campaign has begun the pushback against a potential Davis challenge. Osborne said there is “no precedent” for a recount, and that the campaign has not heard any allegations of irregularities or fraud in the voting.
Osborne pointed to Davis’s 570-vote margin of victory in the multiply-split 2006 Republican primary, in which there was no recount. “The margin for this district has not been inconsistent,” Osborne said, though he noted the Roe campaign has discussed and is prepared for the prospect of a recount.
“We are prepared to have that conversation if and when it becomes necessary,” Osborne said.
Davis spent time earlier in the week at the U.S. Capitol, taking part in the Republican Party's protests over the Democrats' refusal to vote on offshore drilling.
Vanderbilt University profession Bruce Oppenheimer told The Hill that Davis' Washington appearance a few days before the primary indicated he "probably thought he was gonna win" and was "symptomatic overall of his standing."
"Davis did not do what he needed to do to solidify his base. It’s not that he wasn’t conservative enough. It’s a safe Republican district. The question is, how well did he serve his constituency,was he in touch overall with them, did he learn how to be a successful House member," Oppenheimer said.
