Recount Likely in Atlanta Mayoral Race

What many had thought would be a historic mayor's race in Atlanta is not over yet. Though former state senator Kasim Reed is discussing his plans for his first term, runoff opponent Mary Norwood has not conceded.

On the Wednesday morning after Tuesday's runoff election, Norwood was trailing Reed by just 758 votes out of more than 83,000 cast -- a margin of 0.92 percent. A win by Reed would end the city councilwoman's chance to be the first white mayor of Atlanta since 1974. Nearly 11,000 more voters turned out for the runoff than for the general election in November, in which Norwood placed first but didn't get the 50 percent needed to win outright.

Mark Henderson of the Fulton County Elections Office told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Wednesday that all but some 700 provisional ballots had been counted. Thursday is the deadline for those voters to provide verification they were eligible. According to the official tally, "even if all of the provisionals went to Norwood, it might not be enough to change the outcome."

Under state law, a candidate who loses by less than 1 percent of the votes cast has the right to request a recount, and Norwood has indicated that she would do just that.

Reed, a 40-year-old attorney, on Wednesday made the rounds of early-morning Atlanta TV shows. He said that while he would respect the process if Norwood asks for a recount, he would begin to focus on Atlanta issues immediately. He said his first priority would be finding a new police chief with expertise in combating gangs.

On WAGA-TV, Reed said that if he is confirmed as the mayor-elect, he "would like to have Mrs. Norwood involved in an important way if she would like to continue to be involved in municipal government."

This reaching out is a change in tone from a runoff campaign that became increasingly harsh, with Norwood presenting herself as an outsider who could shake up city government and Reed -- who was supported by many in Atlanta's political establishment -- promising to re-open community centers closed because of budget cuts.