The Latest: Hard-fought House race still too close to call
The Latest on the Utah election:
4:50 p.m.
The hard-fought race between Republican U.S. Rep. Mia Love and Democratic challenger Ben McAdams is still in play, three days after the polls closed.
New results released Friday cut into McAdams’ approximately 3 percent lead, but the race remains too close to call with many ballots from Republican-leaning Utah County still uncounted.
Love on Friday thanked voters who waited in long lines there on election night, saying “you deserve better.”
She is fighting for a third term representing a politically mixed, largely suburban district where many voters are wary of President Donald Trump.
McAdams ran as a moderate, saying it would not support California Rep. Nancy Pelosi as House speaker and insisting he could work with the president.
Love, meanwhile, worked to create some distance from Trump while touting the GOP-backed tax cuts.
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3:52 p.m.
Utah voters have approved a ballot measure expanding Medicaid after the state’s Republican lawmakers repeatedly rejected the idea over concerns that it would force the state to cut other services to cover the cost.
The initiative that passed Friday will provide health care coverage to an estimated 150,000 low-income Utah residents. The measure includes a sales tax increase that is expected to generate $90 million that will combine with $800 million in federal money to fund the expansion.
Utah lawmakers did expand coverage to about 6,000 of the state’s neediest residents last year and approved another expansion measure with work requirements. But the federal government hasn’t yet accepted that plan.
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3:48 p.m.
Utah has joined more than 30 other states in legalizing medical marijuana by passing a ballot measure that was opposed by influential Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint leaders.
The plan that crossed the finish line on Friday creates a state-regulated growing and dispensing operation and allows people with certain medical conditions to use the drug in edible forms. It does not allow pot smoking.
The parameters of the law are set to be revised under terms of a compromise reached before the election by marijuana proponents, Church leaders, the governor and state lawmakers.
The compromise won’t allow certain types of edible marijuana that could appeal to children, like cookies and brownies.
Church leaders had opposed the ballot proposal over fears it could lead to more broad use but agreed to the compromise because to allow access for people with serious medical needs.
