GOP firebrand trailing after partial recount

Catalina Camia, USA TODAY | USATODAY

Tea Party favorite Allen West is vowing to pursue "every legal means necessary" after a partial recount showed his Democratic challenger, Patrick Murphy, is still the unofficial winner in their bitter House race.

The Florida race is one of a handful of U.S. House contests still undecided nearly a week after Election Day. Republicans will continue to hold power, regardless of the outcome.

West, a GOP firebrand and prolific fundraiser, picked up some votes Sunday in Florida's St. Lucie County. But Murphy is still ahead by 1,907 votes and 50.3% of the vote -- six-tenths of a percentage point ahead of West. That's not enough to trigger a full recount.

Tim Edson, West's campaign manager, called the partial recount "a sham."

Sean Domnick, Murphy's lawyer, says it's time for West to "step aside and let Patrick Murphy do the business of the people."