Recount affirms loss for Coghill in Alaska Senate primary

JUNEAU, Alaska – A recount of ballots Wednesday affirmed a narrow loss by Republican state Sen. John Coghill in his party primary in Alaska last month.

Results of the recount, released by the state Division of Elections, showed Robert Myers Jr. with 1,739 votes and Coghill with 1,725. That is unchanged from the result that previously had been certified.

Coghill, a longtime lawmaker from North Pole who has served in the House and Senate, said Wednesday that the division “does pretty good.”

“But you just have to review and recount to make sure when it’s that close,” he said. “The voters have spoken. So I will congratulate the person who won and wish them the best and be glad that I served Alaska for as long as I did.”

Myers faces two non-affiliated candidates in the November general election: Evan Eads and Marna Sanford, who serves on the Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly.