Primary featuring Clay Aiken too close to call

Though official results show Aiken with a 369 vote lead after Tuesday night’s Democratic primary in North Carolina’s second congressional district, the Associated Press has said the race is too close to call and his opponent, Keith Crisco, isn’t giving up.

Crisco issued a statement Wednesday afternoon saying he would wait until officials completed a canvass of the votes Thursday to decide his next move.

“This election is still very tight. I want the elections’ officials to have an opportunity to tally the votes and provide a report on their canvass activities to allow all the campaigns a chance to see the final numbers,” Crisco said. “This has been a great campaign and I am very appreciative of my supporters and the hard work that the county boards of elections are doing at this time.”

The North Carolina State Board of Elections did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider Wednesday.

Whether Crisco or Aiken survives the Democratic primary, they face an uphill battle. The winner will face off against incumbent Republican Rep. Renee Ellmers in what is a staunchly conservative district.