Pagliarini Leads Seveney by 70 Votes with About 200 Mail Ballots to Count

Republicans were just shy of declaring outright victory on Tuesday night, but the special election to fill Rhode Island’s Senate District 11 seat is too close to officially call.

Republican John Pagliarini Jr. is leading with 1,203 votes; Democrat James Seveney trails with 1,133 votes and the 70 vote difference does not include the roughly 200 mail ballots that have not been counted and won’t be counted until tomorrow night when the Board of Elections certifies the results.

Republicans are feeling confident because the Pagliarini campaign, which presented a strong anti-toll message, put emphasis on mail-in ballots.

District 11 encompasses Portsmouth and portions of Tiverton and Bristol.

Photo: Pagliarini and supporters make last-minute phone calls asking for support on election day.