At-Large Council member Vincent B. Orange has been declared the official winner in the April 3 Democratic primary.
Orange had narrowly edged out his opponent Sekou Biddle by 543 votes when tallies were made 11 days ago, but due to ethics concerns a recount was held. The final decision regarding the D.C. Council seat was made by the Board of Elections and Ethics Friday evening after absentee and provisional votes were counted. The results garnered Orange a lead of 1,746 votes.
After learning the outcome of the recount, a jubilant Orange said it was time to put the matter behind and move forward. "I'm here standing today despite the strong opposition that I had. It's been a long struggle to get back to this point," he said in an interview. "But we're back and we have a great agenda."
Orange, who now turns his attention to winning the general election in November, also said that he'd receive a congratulatory message from Biddle.
