Secretary of the State Denise Merrill’s office said Thursday that a third state House race will be subject to a recount: the re-election of Rep. Sam Belsito, R-Tolland, by 47 votes over Democrat Susan Eastwood in the 53rd District of Ashford, Tolland and Willington.

On Wednesday, the office said automatic recounts would be held to review the 14-vote re-election of Rep. James Albis, D-East Haven, and the 54-vote win by Democrat Liz Linehan of Cheshire for an open seat.

Under Connecticut law, recounts are required in legislative races if the margin of victory is less than one-half of 1 percent of votes cast for that office or less than twenty votes.

Returns reported to to the secretary of the state showed Belsito outpolling Eastwood, 6,383 to 6,336.

Mark is the Capitol Bureau Chief and a co-founder of CT Mirror. He is a frequent contributor to WNPR, a former state politics writer for The Hartford Courant and Journal Inquirer, and contributor for The New York Times.

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