Under 1% split between District 7 Congressional Seat as incumbent Rouzer claims early victory

NORTH CAROLINA (WWAY) — U.S. House of Representatives incumbent Republican David Rouzer is claiming an early victory for North Carolina’s District 7 seat, while his opponent, Democratic candidate Kimberly Hardy is remining that the race is still in play.

After all 183 precincts reported their votes from Tuesday night’s midterm election, Rouzer leads Hardy just by 2,425 votes. That’s a margin of less than 1%.

In a post on the David Rouzer campaign’s Facebook page, Rouzer called the result a victory and credited the hard work and dedication of his supporters.

However, ballots are still being counted across the district, with the canvass expected to take up to ten days following election day.

“There are enough ballots out there now that it could make a real difference,” said Hardy. “It could maybe even flip the outcome of the race. We don’t know, but I’m committed to making sure that everybody who did their due diligence to show up and vote has their voice heard.”

Rouzer’s website is also asking supporters for donations to support a “recount fund” before the votes are finalized.

Hardy could call for a recount if the final vote tally, including provisional ballots, are within 1% of Rouzer’s total.