Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick Wins Democratic Primary Race For District 20

FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) - Healthcare executive Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick has won the Democratic Primary for the 20th Congressional District by a mere five votes.

McCormick defeated former Broward Mayor Dale Holness in a razor-thin race that took ten days to decide.

The Broward canvassing board met Friday to review 17 overseas and military ballots. The board rejected 12 ballots and neither candidate picked up any additional votes from a recount of the hotly contested race that was held on November 2nd.

Holness said afterward that he may challenge the 12 rejected military ballots which were invalid because there was no indication they came from overseas.

Earlier Friday, McCormick went to court to try to block three vote-by-mall rejected ballots which Holness had asked to be reconsidered after the recount.

READ: Emergency Motion Filed By Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick

Judge Fabienne Fahnestock ordered that the three ballots in question be kept separate from the other ballots that had already been counted in case there's a future challenge.

During the canvassing board meeting, the three ballots were opened and there were no votes for either Holness or McCormick.

McCormick will now face Republicans Jason Mariner in the January General Election, he was the top vote-getter in the Republican contest.

District 20, which includes parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties, is overwhelmingly Democratic and it is likely McCormick will prevail.