Chris Koster (D)
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (Legal Newsline)-State Sen. Chris Koster won the Democratic nomination for Missouri attorney general by more votes, albeit still a very narrow margin.
Koster beat state Rep. Margaret Donnelly, by 829 votes, or 49 more votes than Koster had before Donnelly requested a recount. Under state law, a recount was allowed since the race would be decided by less than one percentage point.
"Although we all would have liked a different ending to this story, I am proud of the campaign that we ran and the doors that we opened," Donnelly said. "I will now focus my efforts on making sure that Democrats from Barack Obama down to legislative candidates are elected."
Koster will go up against Republican state Senate President Pro Tempore Michael Gibbons of Kirkwood in November's general election.
The candidates are vying to replace outgoing Attorney General Jay Nixon, a Democrat, who is running for Missouri governor.
The Donnelly campaign has said one one-vote swing in as few as a quarter of precincts would have resulted in Donnelly winning her party's AG nomination.
The law firm of Lathrop & Gage L.C. was hired to represent Donnelly in the recount. Attorney Richard Rhyne of the firm's Kansas City office handled the case. He was chairman of the Donnelly for Attorney General Greater Kansas City-Area Steering Committee.
From Legal Newsline: Reach reporter Chris Rizo at chrisrizo@legalnewsline.com.