The race for the Republican Party bid for the state representative seat for District 73 officially became Nathan Macias' after a recount showed him to win the election by 53 votes.
Incumbent Carter Casteel asked for the recount after initial tallies showed that she had lost the race by a razor-thin margin of 44 votes.
But after intensive recounts were conducted in the four counties covered by District 73 - Gillespie, Bandera, Kendall and Comal - it was apparent that Macias had won.
Recounts actually worked in Macias' favor, adding nine votes to his tally to increase his margin of victory to 53 votes.
Casteel released a public statement congratulating Macias and wishing him well, but noted that she did not like the campaign that was waged to win the seat.
"I never dreamed that one person would spend close to $1 million to purposely misrepresent and lie about my record," Casteel said. "I hope those who seek public office now and in the future will honor the ninth commandment. I believe that people of faith owe that much to their constituents."
Macias likewise wished Casteel the best.
"The closeness of this election is not lost on me," Macias said. "I look forward to reaching out to all communities and all constituents, working to form strong relationships for the good of the district."
Before he can do that, he must win the November general election. There are no Democratic Party challengers, but he will have to face either Shannon McCracken of Bandera or Charles Ellis of New Braunfels from the Libertarian Party.
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