The Associated Press named Democrat Joe Courtney the winner of the Congressional race in the 2nd District one week after Election Day.

Recounts continued Tuesday as Democratic challenger Joe Courtney's lead narrowed to 91 votes over Republican incumbent Rep. Rob Simmons.

The Connecticut Secretary of the State, Susan Bysiewitz, is expected to hold a news conference Wednesday at 11 a.m. to announce the official results.

"If the rules of probability hold, with all the other recounts, there will be enough cushion," Courtney told Eyewitness News in Washington.

Courtney, along with Democratic leadership in Washington, said he was confident that he would maintain his lead throughout the recount. Tuesday in Washington, Courtney was considered an incoming freshman eligible to vote in Thursday's leadership election.

Courtney also posed with 52 other newly elected members of the House for a class photo Tuesday morning.

"The laws of probability stills how that I think over time, looking at other recounts, that there will be ups and downs and at the end of the day, it still should be enough of a cushion to hold," Courtney said.

Simmons' chief of staff, Todd Mitchell, told Eyewitness News on Monday that the recount is a tough process.

"Sixty-five towns, 65 different counts. So you wait for the recount to play out," Mitchell said.

Courtney said it was important that he attend the week's orientation events despite the ongoing recount.

"I think it's important for the district to have someone here because the train's pulling out of the station in terms of creation of a new House," Courtney said. "Obviously, there is a process we're waiting for completion, but the important thing is that the district should be represented."

On Monday, Courtney's lead fell to its lowest margin of 66 votes after recording errors were found in a few communities, including Lebanon and Waterford.

"It was strictly misreading one number on one machine. The number on the machine was 263 and on Tuesday night it was read as 363," said Lebanon moderator John Bendoritis.

Bysiewitz said it is not unusual to find errors in tallied votes in the old lever system. She said optical scanning machines will make voting easier and more accurage. Tuesday, 25 cities and towns across the state used optical machines. With optical scanning, with every vote cast, a paper receipt is produced.

The original vote tally over the weekend separated the margin between Courtney and Simmons by 166 votes. Chaplin was the only town in the 2nd District to hold a recount on Sunday and did not change its original vote tally.

The 2nd District race was one of 11 nationally that remained unsettled.

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