Former Killeen Mayor Scott Cosper (left) defeated optometrist Austin Ruiz in House District 54's Republican primary runoff in after a recount was completed June 16, 2016.

Texas House candidate and former Killeen Mayor Scott Cosper has won a recount of his narrow victory over Killeen optometrist Austin Ruiz in last month’s Republican primary runoff.

Cosper defeated Ruiz by just 43 votes in the May 24 runoff for Texas House District 54 in Central Texas. Ruiz quickly announced that he would pursue a recount. 

Completed Thursday afternoon, the recount found that Cosper was indeed the winner, but the margin was a little tighter — 39 votes separated the two Republicans, Texas GOP spokesman Michael Joyce said.

Cosper and Ruiz were vying to replace fellow Killeen Republican Jimmie Don Aycock, a longtime incumbent who is retiring. The race is among those that could be competitive in November’s general election, where Cosper faces Democratic nominee Sandra Blankenship.

The HD 54 recount was the last known recount stemming from the primary runoffs. Earlier this month, Deer Park attorney Briscoe Cain was victorious in a recount of his 23-vote win against state Rep. Wayne Smith of Baytown in House District 128’s Republican primary runoff.

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Patrick Svitek was the primary political correspondent for The Texas Tribune. Patrick covered elections, state leaders, the Legislature and political trends across the state from 2015 until 2024. He previously...