PORT ALICE, Tri. -- It's going to be deja vu all over again in Trinton this year.
After a machine recount, multi-millionaire businessman Jim Valoix has been declared the winner in Trinton's Conservative primary race for governor.
Valoix, who has ran for governor unsuccessfully three times prior, is hoping 2024 will be his break-through year.
He just slightly edged out Kelleyville attorney Bob Gillies, with both men polling nearly evenly in the lead-up to election night.
Valoix won with 26.64% to Gillies' 25.62%, respectively. They were followed closely behind by conservative activist Mara Edinough, who ended the count with 24.77%.
Edinough is the sister-in-law of outgoing Gov. Marcus Edinough (DR).
In last place was former federal Sen. Kelsey Frascanio, who earned 23.33%, respectively.
Valoix was declared the winner in the initial count of the ballots, holding a similar margin over his opponents.
The race was close, but not close enough to automatically trigger a recount by state statute.
However, Mara Edinough's campaign requested and paid for a machine recount, which produced a similar outcome that was very close to the original count.
Valoix's lead diminished slightly, after a few more military and overseas ballots were included in the recount, but his lead held steady, with none of his challengers coming close to overtaking his vote count.
Frascanio was the first to concede, doing so on election night.
"It's clear that we don't have the votes, and it's clear to me that Jim Valoix has won the most votes and the confidence of the Conservative voters of Trinton. So I think we need to rally behind Jim and unite and help him win in the fall election, said a surprisingly upbeat Frascanio at her election night gathering in suburban Southfield, just outside of Williamstown.
The Gillies and Edinough campaigns declined to concede on election night. Gillies told his supporters, gathered at a working-class pub in Kelleyville, that the race was too close to know for sure who won.
"We're going to wait to see what the recount produces, if the numbers move. But we know this is an extremely close race, so we'll have to wait a few days to find out the final outcome," said Gillies.
Edinough was more defiant, telling her supporters, gathered at a bar and grill in the northern suburbs of Williamstown, that there was reason to be "concerned" about the accuracy of the vote count.
"We are watching the vote tally very closely, aware that there may be some irregularities. Rest assured, we have campaign staff from our campaign who are monitoring the vote-counting process, and who are fighting for every single vote for our campaign," said Edinough.
She added that "we are not even close to ready to concede," as her supporters cheered.
But by Thursday afternoon, days after election day, Edinough seemed to read the writing on the wall.
"It's evident to me that the numbers just are not in our favor. The recount didn't produce more votes for us, the margins and percentages basically stayed the same. This was an extremely close election, and we knew this was an uphill battle, especially going against the establishment and having a four-way race. So we knew it was going to be hard. It's disappointing, but there just isn't a way forward," said Edinough in a press conference Thursday afternoon at her home in Branchwood.
Notably, Edinough -- who has propagated multiple election conspiracies on social media over the past few months -- never formally conceded to Jim Valoix or acknowledged that he won. During her lengthy press conference Thursday, she simply repeated that there "is no path forward" for her campaign, and that "the numbers just aren't there."
Further upstate at his home in Port Alice, Jim Valoix thanked his supporters and praised his three Conservative challengers.
"Every vote counts, as we see from the result of this race. This is our time. This is our moment. For a conservative change, a tidal wave of change in the state of Trinton," said Valoix. "And I am grateful to be leading it. I'm also grateful to all three of my Conservative colleagues who ran against me. They brought valuable issues to the table to discuss and debate, and they are partners with us in the fight for conservative change."
While Valoix made it through the Conservative primary, a more difficult challenge lies ahead, as he will face the eventual winner of the NAT primary.
Votes are still being counted in that race, as it's too close to call. So, it's unclear whom Valoix will face on the NAT side.
No matter who the eventual NAT nominee is, though, it will be an uphill battle for Valoix, with Trinton's strong NAT tilt and liberal bent.
Still, Conservatives are optimistic, grateful they at least have a shot at the governorship.
"We got robbed back in 2016, when I just barely lost out on a slot in the run-off," Valoix said, recalling when he placed third in the three-way race with Troy Halver (N) and Marcus Edinough (DR). "And in 2020, we got robbed too, when our candidate (Greg Baxter) came in third place. We didn't get into the run-off. But this time, we are going all the way to the fall election, and that's got to excite Trinton Conservatives."
Also helpful for Valoix will be other high-profile CNS candidates on the ballot, including former Secretary of State Trip Kellet, who is seeking his old office, and Senate nominee Mack Anderson, who is challenging incumbent NAT Sen. Dorothy Grischaltz.
Both Kellet and Anderson are popular, and their presence on the ballot may help Valoix by motivating Conservative voters to turn out strongly on election day.
Nationalists brush off the Conservative momentum, citing Trinton's historical NAT trends and the strength of their candidates.
"The Conservative Party in Trinton has been nothing but a carnival sideshow for the last decade, and I don't look for that to change this year," said state party chairman Paul DeNatta.
"Trinton Nationalists are prepared to fight hard this election and to win," said DeNatta, though he declined to address polls that show Dorothy Grischaltz trailing in her bid for re-election to Conservative Mack Anderson.
Another factor that is unclear is the influence of outgoing Gov. Marcus Edinough. A former Conservative-turned-Democratic Reformist, Edinough is fiscally conservative but socially liberal, and he has frequently sided with state Nationalists over Conservatives.
It's unclear if Edinough will endorse Valoix or the NAT nominee, or if he will endorse anyone at all in the contest.
Edinough made his distaste for his sister-in-law Mara Edinough very clear, telling the NPF he would not vote for Mara "under any circumstances."
"She's just too extreme. Trinton cannot afford an extremist governor. We need a moderate, middle-of-the-road, consensus-builder governor," said the outgoing Edinough.
Sources close to Edinough say he could be convinced to endorse a moderate Conservative, but it's unclear if Valoix would earn Edinough's backing.
***Trinton Conservative Party Nomination -- Governor -- Unofficial Election Results***
| Candidates | Percentage | Votes |
| Jim Valoix | 26.63% | 315,704 |
| Bob Gillies | 25.26% | 299,464 |
| Mara Edinough | 24.78% | 293,778 |
| Kelsey Frascanio | 23.33% | 276,606 |
| Total Votes: | 1,185,552 | |
| Voter Turnout: | 19% |
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