Republican Jake Hunsaker leads Democrat Benyde Walker by 298 votes in the race for Utah House District 48, which covers parts of South Jordan, Herriman and Riverton.
Hunsaker held 51.03% of the vote as of Nov. 9, according to Utah News Dispatch. But the race is not over. Provisional and absentee ballots are still being counted, and results will not be official until county and state canvasses are completed on Nov. 23.
The lead has changed hands since election night. Walker held a 224-vote edge after initial returns on Nov. 3, with 51.43% of the vote to Hunsaker's 48.57%, according to Utah News Dispatch's election night tally. By Nov. 5, Walker's lead had grown to 374 votes, with 52.02% to Hunsaker's 47.98%, Utah News Dispatch reported.
Then the count flipped. Hunsaker pulled ahead by 298 votes in updated tallies reported Nov. 9.
"Things are looking up, but the county still is counting a handful of provisional ballots, absentee ballots, and there are some ballots coming in as well," Hunsaker said on his Instagram account, according to Utah News Dispatch. "We don't believe those are going to be statistically significant, but we're being patient, and we're not counting any chickens before they hatch, and we're riding the ride alongside you."
No public statement from Walker appeared in available reports.
The seat opened when Rep. Doug Fiefia, R-Herriman, left to run for Utah Senate District 18. Fiefia won that race on Nov. 3 with 55.73% of the vote, according to election night results reported by Utah News Dispatch.
Hunsaker, a senior operations manager for Qualtrics, once challenged U.S. Rep. Burgess Owens for a congressional seat, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. Walker is a first-time candidate, former educator and photographer.
During the campaign, Hunsaker said infrastructure was his top priority, pointing to traffic, crowded schools and growth outpacing planning "in our corner of the valley," according to the Salt Lake Tribune. Walker said she would push to limit private-equity purchases of starter homes and fight for working families being priced out of their neighborhoods.
The HD-48 race is one of several tight contests statewide. If current results hold, Utah House Republicans are on track to lose their supermajority, dropping to 45 seats compared to 28 for Democrats and two for unaffiliated candidates, according to the firm Morgan and May, as cited by Utah News Dispatch.
