11.03.04
Cowan, Brown go head-to-head
Just 62 votes separated incumbent State Representative Alan Brown and his challenger, outgoing Lincoln County Commissioner Jean Cowan, late Tuesday night with 99 percent of the votes counted.
After trailing for most of the evening, Brown edged ahead shortly after 11:30 p.m. with 11,494 votes (49.98 percent) compared to Cowan’s 11,432 (49.71 percent).
Earlier, Cowan had been ahead by more than 100 votes. While recognizing her election was not a sure thing, Cowan was tentatively happy Monday night - but unhappy with the negative tone of the race she and Brown just ran.
“I hope it wasn’t the ads,” she said, when asked if the tone of the campaign had determined the apparent outcome of the race. “My hope is that people shared my concerns about our unmet needs in this state - our challenges in education and health care - and that my experience in local government was really important. But,” she added, “remember, it’s not a done deal at this point.”
Her prediction came true just an hour later, when the Lincoln County Clerk’s office release updated figures.
House District 10 also comprises a small portion of Polk County, where the race between Brown and Cowan wad dead even - with 244 votes for each candidate as of midnight.
