SALT LAKE CITY — President Donald Trump and Utah Sen. Mike Lee took to Twitter to congratulate Burgess Owens on beating Rep. Ben McAdams in the 4th Congressional District race, although the race has not yet been called.
“Great going Burgess, you continue to be a STAR!” Trump tweeted, along with a link to a Breitbart article projecting Owens as the winner.
“Congratulations @BurgessOwens! Looking forward to talking with you in DC next week!” tweeted Lee, a Republican.
Owens, a Republican, saw his lead over McAdams jump Friday to 2,095 votes after new election results were released by Utah County and Salt Lake County.
A former NFL player, author and frequent Fox News guest, Owens is now ahead of McAdams, Utah’s only Democrat in Congress, 47.5% to 46.93% in the district that includes portions of Salt Lake, Utah, Juab and Sanpete counties.
Neither candidate immediately commented on the latest numbers, which appear to make it extremely difficult for McAdams to overtake Owens.
No new results in the race were expected Saturday. The final county canvass of votes is Tuesday.