California: Ca-04

ROSEVILLE - Though there's been neither a concession from his opponent or an official certification from elections officials, Republican Tom McClintock again declared victory Monday in the 4th Congressional District race.

Meanwhile, the campaign for opponent Charlie Brown said they're still studying their options. McClintock's camp has claimed the vote margin is too large for Brown to make up with what's left, and McClintock informally claimed victory over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

When vote totals are certified next week in the 4th Congressional District race, it might not be the end, but just the end of the beginning.

The campaigns for both Democrat Charlie Brown and Republican Tom McClintock are prepared in case the county-certified vote total draws a corresponding legal action that could take weeks to resolve.

By state elections law, counties have to finish their vote counting by Dec. 2, and formally submit it to the California Secretary of State's office by Dec. 9.

The SOS's office then must certify the vote by Dec. 13.

By late November, the nervous energy of Election Night ballot watching has settled into something much more deliberate, slow and lengthy.

Provisional ballots can be blamed, or credited, depending on whether your candidate still hopes to pull victory from the jaws of defeat.

In outstanding races around California, provisional ballots - those cast without elections officials or the voters themselves sure if they'll count - are the bulk of what's left to be counted.

The campaign manager for Charlie Brown's congressional campaign said claims of victory late Friday by the campaign for opponent Tom McClintock were premature.

Campaign manager Todd Stenhouse said that not only are there thousands of ballots still to count in the race, but a margin of victory of less than half a percent means an automatic recount of 10 percent of the ballots, which he expected to happen.