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Democratic incumbent Addie Russell has secured a razor thin victory over Republican John Byrne in the race for the 116th Assembly District. After trailing her opponent by more than 100 votes on Election Day, Elizabeth Jeneault explains how Russell was able to squeeze out the win.

"I knew it was going to be a close race when we came down to the absentees and they weren't turning exactly as how we thought they were going to turn," said Byrne.

The opening of those ballots reversed the tide to give Russell about a 100 vote lead. Byrne's last hope was that the opening of about 300 challenged ballots from both counties Monday would change things yet again. When it became clear that wouldn't happen, he said he was just thankful that the majority of those ballots were opened.

"We knew we had to go through the process, we felt we did it in an honorable fashion and we're just very happy that everyone agreed to have those ballots opened," said Byrne.

Critics have argued that the race wouldn't have been as close had Russell campaigned more. She said she believed other factors were to blame.

"Low voter turnout usually tends to help Republicans and I think that was a trend we saw nationally and really has as much to do with how this race turned out than any other single factor," said Russell.

With the race now behind her, Russell said she's focused on her next term.

"Our schools and our small governments have been under tremendous strain so as we work through the next budget cycle, continuing to advocate for our local governments and for our school districts will remain a top priority of mine," said Russell.

A term she can look forward to, after unofficially winning the overall race by about a mere 100 votes.

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Democrat Addie Russell Wins 116th Assembly District Race

Buncombe County Commissioner Ellen Frost is sworn in for a second term Monday evening Dec. 1, 2014. Frost took the oath of office using the Bible of the South's first elected female legislature and Black Mountain native Lillian Exum Clement Stafford. The Borgan's are the caregivers of Stafford's 90-year-old son-in-law and former Asheville resident Win Anders. The Bible is over 100 years old with several passages underlined by the former legislator. The Bible also has a inscription written by E.S. Vanderbilt, written March 12, 1900.(Photo: William Woody / wwoody@citizen-times.com)

The top Buncombe County elected official crossed party lines Monday to elect Republican Joe Belcher as vice chairman of the Board of Commissioners.

Belcher, a Candler resident representing the south and west of the county in District 3, won on a 4-3 vote over Democrat Brownie Newman. The vote was along party lines except for what proved to be the swing vote from Chairman David Gantt, a Democrat and the only commissioner elected countywide.

Gantt made no comment about the vote. There was little other discussion about the election of vice chair, except by the commissioners who nominated Belcher and Newman.

Democratic Commissioner Holly Jones nominated Newman, calling him "a tireless proponent of education, environmental stewardship and equality." Newman represents District 1 which takes in most of Asheville.

Republican Commissioner Mike Fryar nominated Belcher. Fryar said Belcher has covered a lot of ground in the two years he's been on the board.

"He's learned a lot and he's been to 99 percent of the events that we often don't make. I have the greatest respect for him and think he would do a fantastic job in that position," Fryar said.

CITIZEN-TIMES

Buncombe County commissioners to elect vice chair

After the vote, Belcher said Newman was a good commissioner and that he was thankful for his service. Belcher said he tried to be present at schools, charity events "for those less fortunate" and to provide leadership where he could.

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Democrat majority board of commissioners pick GOP vice chair

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) Veteran state Sen. Roger Bedford has congratulated his Republican replacement after a Monday recount showed no substantial change in the election result.

Republican Larry Stutts defeated Bedford by just 67 votes in the Senate District 6 race. The close margin triggered a mandatory recount.

Bedford wrote in a Facebook message Monday that he congratulates Stutts on his victory. Stutts, a physician from Tuscumbia, was sworn in on Friday.

Bedford says he is proud of his time in the Alabama Senate to which he was first elected in 1982. Bedford says he's looking forward to the next chapter in his life.

The veteran Democrat's defeat was one of the major upsets in the 2014 elections. His loss means there will be only one white Democrat remaining in the Alabama Senate.

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Incumbent Democrat Roger Bedford concedes Senate race

Democrat E-mail Says The Antichrist Barack Obama May Be Impeached Or Imprisoned. I Have The Answer!
http://youtu.be/oBuwQ1_P89w http://youtu.be/1ZWSIiYG-pE (***URGENT WATCH SHARE***) http://youtu.be/Jin8DjU6-9Q (***URGENT WATCH SHARE***) https://www.you...

By: dockidds

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Democrat E-mail Says The Antichrist Barack Obama May Be Impeached Or Imprisoned. I Have The Answer! - Video

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Democrat Tom Wolf had to make high-pressure decisions while running a business, serving as state revenue secretary and successfully campaigning for governor. But nothing compares to what awaits him in January after he is sworn in as Pennsylvania's chief executive.

There won't be much time to break in - the 2015-16 budget address must be delivered in February or March, and he'll need to find a way to work with strong Republican majorities in the Legislature to plug yet another budget deficit projected by the Independent Fiscal Office to be almost $2 billion.

Wolf will have to determine a strategy to fill two vacancies on the Supreme Court, what to make of the ongoing work of a school funding commission, how to pursue a death penalty moratorium he has advocated and even whether some of his top aides should be voting members of the Penn State board.

Wolf's aides say no one should be surprised at his main priorities - Medicaid expansion, education funding and a tax on natural gas extraction.

"You will hear a consistent drumbeat from the governor-elect on the absolute imperative of doing what's fair and right and putting a reasonable severance tax in place," Wolf's chief of staff Katie McGinty said.

Personnel decisions will require much of his attention at first. He and his lieutenants will have to decide who stays, who goes and who they want to bring into the government. Some major state agencies have been without a permanent leader for some time - Education and Environmental Protection among them - and Wolf will have to decide whom he wants to nominate and persuade the Senate to confirm them.

"He's working as hard and fast as he can to have that team in place" by the Jan. 20 inauguration, McGinty said. "Whether every single member of the Cabinet will be identified and announced, I don't know, but all I can tell you is all day, every day, he's working toward that end."

Then there is the element of the unknown, the surprises that can crop up in the first year for Pennsylvania governors.

One day after Republican Gov. Tom Corbett took over from Democrat Ed Rendell four years ago, prosecutors in Philadelphia disclosed horrific practices at an abortion provider in the city, a scandal that illustrated problems with the state's regulation of abortion clinics. Corbett's first year also brought the Jerry Sandusky child molestation case into the open.

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Tom Wolf faces big decisions on budget, policies