Tom Holland appears to have won re-election in the 10th District of the Kansas House of Representatives.

Advance ballots counted in Douglas County early today gave Holland, a Baldwin Democrat, a 291-vote edge over challenging Republican Rich Lorenzo of Lawrence.

Nearly 10,500 votes were cast in the race.

The slim margin may mean the winner of the race won’t be known for certain until provisional ballots are counted during a certification meeting Monday.

“I wasn’t looking forward to that but it’s looking like that might end up being the situation,” Lorenzo said. “We thought it was going to be real close.”

Holland did not return phone messages left early today.

Lorenzo took 55 percent of the vote in Franklin County precincts, compared with Holland’s 42 percent. Holland won the Douglas County precincts that had been counted with 54 percent, compared to Lorenzo’s 44 percent.

Holland, a 43-year-old computer project manager, ran on his two-year record in the Legislature, including passage of a franchise tax overhaul bill that eliminated or reduced levies for more than 30,000 businesses and passage of an amendment that prevents state government from outsourcing call centers to foreign countries.

He refused to sign a pledge that he wouldn’t raise taxes without putting the measure before voters.

Kansas House District 10 Robert Garrard 219 2% ¢ Tom Holland 5,317 50% Rich Lorenzo 5,016 48% 16 of 16 precincts reporting

Lorenzo, a 30-year-old investment manager, was one of 61 candidates who signed the pledge, dubbed the Taxpayer Bill of Rights. Other platform issues included overhauling the school finance formula and making health insurance more accessible.

Holland was aided by a larger campaign fund in the election. Preliminary spending reports showed Holland spent $28,072 in the period from July 23 through mid-October, compared to Lorenzo’s $9,515. He also had almost four times the amount on hand going into the final weeks of the election.

The district is in southeast Douglas County and northeast Franklin County and includes south Lawrence, Baldwin, Wellsville and north Ottawa.

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