Congressional candidate Rick W. Allen of Augusta says he wants a recount of the vote in the runoff election to choose a Republican nominee in east Georgia's 12th District.

Allen's campaign manager, Scott Paradise, said Wednesday the candidate has invested too much time and money in the race to concede defeat after unofficial returns showed Allen trailing state Rep. Lee Anderson by just 154 votes.

Anderson is claiming victory and sent a fresh appeal to voters for donations. State elections officials say 139 military and overseas ballots are still outstanding along with an unknown number of provisional ballots.

Allen is guaranteed a recount if official results show he lost by less than 1 percent.

The runoff winner will face Democratic Rep. John Barrow in November.

Tags: Augusta, Savannah, 12th District, Lee Anderson, Rick W. Allen, gop runoff