Pennsylvania GOP Senate primary headed to a recount

Pennsylvania's hotly contested Republican Senate primary is heading to a recount after unofficial results showed Mehmet Oz, the television personality turned political candidate backed by former President Trump, narrowly ahead of former hedge fund manager David McCormick. 

Unofficial results showed Oz ahead of McCormick by 902 votes, acting Pennsylvania Secretary of State Leigh Chapman told reporters  Wednesday. Pennsylvania state law says that statewide races go to a recount if the margin between the top candidates is 0.5% or less.

Chapman said that McCormick did not waive his right to a recount by Wednesday's noon deadline, so she will issue a formal declaration for a recount by 5 p.m. on Thursday. Counties will be able to start the recount on Friday, but must start the process by June 1. 

State officials said Wednesday that roughly 6,000 absentee ballots, including military and overseas ballots, and about 4,000 provisional ballots were still being canvassed and adjudicated. Officials did not on Wednesday  provide a breakdown of how many ballots were cast in the Republican primary from that batch.