News for North Texas
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Democrat Elizabeth Frizell Seeks Recount In Dallas County DA Race After Narrow Loss

Christopher Connelly
/
KERA News
Elizabeth Frizell, a Democrat, stepped down as Dallas district court judge to run for the DA's office against fellow former judge John Creuzot (right).

A candidate in the Democratic primary for Dallas County district attorney says she has requested a recount after losing the race by a small margin. 

Elizabeth Frizell, a former state district judge, came up 612 votes short of John Creuzot, according to an unofficial tally by election officials. It shows Creuzot with 56,612 votes and Frizell with 56,000 in last week's primary.

Frizell has not conceded to Creuzot, who's also a former state district judge. She announced her recount request on Thursday.

“Democrats voted in record numbers this election, and because the difference in votes is too close to call (less than half of 1%), I feel it is in the best interest of Dallas County residents to make sure the election results are complete and confirmed,” Frizell said in a statement.

"Our democracy is healthier when every vote is counted," she continued.

A recount can’t take place until Dallas County election officials count overseas and absentee ballots that are still coming into the office. The county's elections administrator, Toni Pippins-Poole, told the Dallas Morning News that her department will finish counting those ballots Monday.

After the election is certified, Frizell can request a recount, which she must pay for.

Here is the full statement posted on Frizell's campaign Facebook page last week.

If the current count holds up, Creuzot will face Republican Faith Johnson in November. Johnson was appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott in December 2016.