Pelino seeks recount in close GOP gubernatorial primary

Trailing by 271 votes in preliminary, unofficial primary results, Republican gubernatorial candidate Elaine Pelino asked for a recount in her matchup against Aaron Guckian, the Board of Elections confirmed.

In a Facebook post just after noon Thursday, Pelino said her decision to file the request was about “election integrity and respect for our voters.”

“In a race so close, we must make sure that every Republican who casted a ballot in this race has their vote counted and heard,” she said.

Pelino did not immediately respond to follow-up inquiries for comment.

“It’s her right by statute,” Guckian said. 

Pelino, 72, is a first-time candidate and self-proclaimed MAGA Republican. Guckian, 50, offered a more moderate take on conservative views, emphasizing collaboration and his experience as an aide under former Gov. Don Carcieri. Guckian also ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor in 2022.

While the margin between the GOP rivals is close, it might be too large to allow for a manual re-feeding of ballots into machines under state law. In races with 20,001 to 100,000 votes, which include the GOP gubernatorial primary, the gap must be less than 1% or 500 votes, whichever is fewer. Preliminary results, which do not include all mail ballots, show Guckian leads Pelino by just over 1%.

“We’ll see where we’re at tonight and what the number is,” Guckian said. “I like my position.” 

State law still allows for a comparison of memory devices from tabulator machines against posted result totals when the losing candidate trails by less than 5% of votes.

Candidates have until 4 p.m. Thursday to submit recount requests to the elections panel.

There were also recount requests submitted in two Providence City Council Democratic primaries.

In the Ward 9 race between Councilor Juan Pichardo and challenger Carmen Castillo, both candidates asked for a recount. Castillo, who held the seat until 2023, forced out due to term limits, trails  Pichardo by two votes in the race for the seat representing Elmwood, South Elmwood, and the Roger Williams Park area. 

In the Ward 4 race, challenger Joseph Casoli requested a recount. Casoli trails Councilor Justin Roias by 51 votes among voters in the Charles and Wanskuck neighborhoods. 

“They haven’t finished counting the ballots so we don’t have an exact total yet,” Casoli said in an interview Friday. “Until that’s done, we’re in limbo.”

Roias, Castillo and Pichardo did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The elections board is scheduled to meet at 10:30 a.m. Monday, Sept. 14, to review all primary recount requests.