Larsen holds narrow lead over Koster in 2nd Congressional race

The tight, seesaw battle for the 2nd Congressional District seat continued Thursday with incumbent Democratic Rep. Rick Larsen maintaining a narrow lead over Snohomish County Councilman John Koster in the latest vote tallies.

Koster continued to lead in Snohomish, Skagit and Island counties, while Larsen held the edge in Whatcom, San Juan, and the tiny area of King County that is part of the district.

Larsen trailed on Election Day by a little more than 1,200 votes. On Thursday, he had pulled ahead by 1,451 votes, or .66 percent.

A machine recount is required if the candidates are less than one-half a percentage point and fewer than 2,000 votes apart.

Koster's campaign said it was monitoring the ballot counting to ensure the process was fair.

"Though John Koster remains in a position to win, we are keenly aware that there are those who will do everything they can to keep this seat out of the hands of the new House majority," Koster's campaign manager Larry Stickney said in a statement.

"Therefore, we have a team of observers on the ground at county courthouses throughout the 2nd Congressional District. We are working with attorneys and election experts at the state and federal levels in anticipation of a possible recount scenario," he said.

Lynn Thompson: 206-464-8305 or lthompson@seattletimes.com