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Republicans Choose Not to Pursue Recount in New Mexico

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Associated Press

Republicans decided Friday against seeking a recount in New Mexico, where Democrat Al Gore was declared the winner in the presidential race by a 366-vote margin.

State GOP Chairman John Dendahl said a recount would be “divisive and time consuming.”

Democrats in the state had been prepared to file for recounts of their own--but only if Republicans asked for them first. Recounts can be requested for specific precincts, rather than a statewide recount.

Gore was certified as the winner of New Mexico’s five electoral votes last week.

Since then, Republicans in 17 counties have hand-inspected absentee and early ballots, searching for irregularities. The state GOP was successful in getting those ballots impounded days after the election.

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Dendahl said the review turned up possible problems but that he believed Republican George W. Bush would not have picked up enough votes to overcome his opponent’s lead.

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