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SALT LAKE CITY — President Donald Trump and Utah Sen. Mike Lee both congratulated Burgess Owens on Twitter after the latest vote totals released Friday show him with a solid lead in his race for Congress just a few days before counting ends.
Owens, the former NFL safety and frequent Fox News contributor, leads Democratic Rep. Ben McAdams by 2,095 votes after Friday's update — no more votes are expected to be released this weekend. While it's unclear exactly how many votes remain to be counted in the district, Owens' margin will be difficult to overcome for the incumbent congressman.
The Associated Press, which KSL.com uses to call major races, has not yet declared a winner in this race.
Trump retweeted a Breitbart News article calling the race for Owens on Friday, and added his own commentary. "Great going Burgess," the president wrote, "you continue to be a STAR!"
Republican Burgess Owens Defeats Democrat Rep. Ben McAdams in Utah https://t.co/H9NlPQj5yb via @BreitbartNews Great going Burgess, you continue to be a STAR!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 14, 2020
Trump has not yet conceded the presidential election race to former Vice President Joe Biden, who was projected the winner last weekend by major news organizations. His campaign has filed lawsuits to challenge vote totals in several states.
Lee said Saturday he is "looking forward to talking" with Owens in Washington D.C. next week.
Congratulations @burgessowens! Looking forward to talking with you in DC next week!
— Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) November 14, 2020
Owens has also been congratulated by a few other national voices, like Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler. "I look forward to working with you to protect the American Dream!" she wrote. Loeffler will face Democratic candidate Raphael Warnock in a January runoff election for her seat.
If Owens holds his lead after the final canvass on Tuesday, he will reclaim the 4th Congressional District for the GOP after former Rep. Mia Love was narrowly defeated in 2018. Utah's congressional delegation would become entirely Republican, once again.
McAdams came from behind to leapfrog Love in the final days of the 2018 vote count, but his deficit was not as wide then as it is now.
