Congressman Costa Declaring Victory

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KMPH) — Looks like the race for the 16th Congressional District may finally be over; Congressman Jim Costa is now declaring victory over Republican challenger Johnny Tacherra.

The latest tally from the Fresno County elections office was released late Wednesday.

It now shows Costa with 51% of the vote to Tacherra's 49%, which is a difference of 1,319 votes.

If the numbers hold, it will mean Costa will serve his 6th term in office.

Costa, a Democrat from Fresno, released a statement saying: "There are many challenges facing the next Congress. All of which require a representative who is not afraid to reach across the aisle to find viable solutions on water, transportation, and schools. As I have always done, I will continue to work with my colleagues, in a bipartisan manner, to tackle the difficult issues that face our Valley and nation."

The Fresno County elections office is reporting there are no more mail-in ballots to count but there are 1,800 provisional ballots yet to be counted.

An update on the remaining ballots is expected Friday.