Will County Gazette

State Sen. Jim Oberweis (R-Sugar Grove) has formally launched a discovery recount after unofficial tallies in his race against Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-Illinois) last month ended with him trailing by just over 5,000 votes.

“We are seeking a discovery recount in each of the seven counties within the 14th Congressional District,” Oberweis said. “The first of these recounts have been formally filed in DuPage County. We will be filing paperwork in the other counties in the coming days.”

With more than 400,000 votes cast in their hard-fought battle, Oberweis moved to publicly declare victory based on early returns. Final tabulations pegged his share of the vote at 49.3%.

Oberweis’ formal launch came on the same day the State Board of Elections was scheduled to meet to certify the results from the Nov. 3 general election. Discrepancies in the recount could form the basis for a court challenge to the results.

The 34-year-old Underwood declared victory on Nov. 18 and is reported to already be in Washington for the start of her second term.

"The votes in this race have been counted and Mr. Oberweis lost," Underwood’s campaign said in a statement. “As he has acknowledged, a discovery recount cannot change the outcome of this election. Congresswoman Underwood is in Washington focused on the job she has been elected to do."

The 14th Congressional District includes DuPage, DeKalb, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry and Will counties and unofficial results show Underwood emerging victorious in all but McHenry and DeKalb counties.