Rep. Tim Bishop is now within just 81 votes of Republican challenger Randy Altschuler. Both men were in Washington this week as officials kept counting ballots from the too-close-to-call race.

The incumbent Democrat, who once trailed by nearly 400, has picked up 302 votes through the first three and a half days of counting absentee ballots in New York’s 1st district, according to an update provided by the Bishop campaign this morning.

Absentee ballot counting is nearing its conclusion, but the campaigns have challenged an additional 877 ballots that aren’t included in the count.

Bishop spokesman Jon Schneider notes that Altschuler has challenged 193 more ballots than Bishop so far.

“When, as expected, most of those frivolous challenges are ultimately dismissed, it effectively means Bishop has the lead,” Schneider wrote in a message to reporters this morning.

“The more votes we count, the more gains we see for Tim Bishop,” Schneider continued. “Randy Altschuler can lodge frivolous challenges to suppress votes, but the bottom line is that Tim Bishop is winning.”

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