Arizona congressional race moves to mandatory recount

The rematch in Arizona between Democratic Rep. Ron Barber and Republican Martha McSally is headed for a lengthy recount that won't start before Dec. 1.

McSally, the first female Air Force pilot to fly in combat, leads Barber by 161 votes. A mandatory recount occurs when the winning margin is fewer than 200 votes. The Arizona Republicreports it will be the state's first-ever recount for a congressional seat.

McSally declared victory. "All ballots are now counted and the voters have made their choice," she said in a statement released Wednesday. "While we still have a recount to go, we expect similar results and will provide the necessary oversight to ensure accurate results."

The Barber campaign made note that 782 provisional ballots in Pima County were not counted because they were declared invalid. From the Arizona Republic report:

It was unclear late Wednesday if that meant the Barber campaign would challenge those votes in court. Provisional ballots trend Democratic, statistics show.

Ashley Nash-Hahn, a Barber campaign spokeswoman, said in a statement that "during the legal recount process, we will work to see that every lawful vote is counted and that the voices of Southern Arizona are heard." The Barber campaign explained the recount process in its statement.

Barber was first elected in a 2012 special election, following the resignation of Gabrielle Giffords. Barber, district director for Giffords, was injured in the 2011 massacre at a Tucson grocery store that left the congresswoman severely wounded and six people dead. He defeated McSally in another 2012 election for his own term.