LOUISVILLE, Ky. — With just 58 votes separating the two top candidates in the GOP primary for Kentucky’s 3rd Congressional District, the trailing candidate has requested a re-canvass.

Businessman Stuart Ray holds the advantage over real estate agent Rhonda Palazzo, who previously won the GOP nomination for the 3rd Congressional District in 2020. Palazzo requested a re-canvass, which will be held Thursday.

Jefferson County Clerk’s office spokesman Erran Huber said election officials will recalculate the vote totals from every machine used in the district to ensure they were all counted properly.

“This is really more of a confirmation process than anything else,” Huber said. “We’re re-checking everything because the races are so close. We want to make sure everything lines up.”

Ray said he would have requested a re-canvass if he were the one down in the race, so he doesn’t take it personally, but he’s focused on the general election in November.

“Certainly I would’ve liked a larger margin of victory,” he said. “I’m sure my opponent would have as well, but we’ll take the votes that were given to us.”

The guidelines for a re-canvass require the candidates to be within one percent of each other; only one-tenth of a percent separated Ray and Palazzo.

A re-canvass is a separate process from a recount, where individual votes are counted again.

Palazzo said she’s considering potential legal action depending on the outcome of the re-canvass, and she expects to have a statement out before Friday. Candidates can petition a judge to either order a recount of the votes or contest the race entirely.

One other race in Jefferson County will also be re-canvassed: the Democratic primary for Louisville Metro Council District 5, where incumbent Donna Purvis holds a 35-vote lead over Ray Barker.

The Kentucky Board of Elections is scheduled to certify the 2022 primaries on June 3.