LEWISTON, Maine — Votes will have to be redistributed under Maine’s ranked-choice system to determine the winner of a key congressional race, election officials said.

The process was beginning, with Republican Austin Theriault’s campaign endorsing Friday, despite Democratic Rep. Jared Golden’s claim that he had already won re-election outright without the need for additional tabulations.

The showdown between Golden and Theriault in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District was one of several pivotal races still without a declared winner, with control of the U.S. House of Representatives at stake.

The two candidates were both just under 49 percent, with Golden holding a slight lead of about 2,000 votes, according to figures released Thursday night by the Maine Department of the Secretary of State. At this point, the Maine winner won’t be announced until next week.

In the case of tied voting, if no candidate obtains a majority in the first round, the lower choices of the backers in last place are reallocated to establish a majority. The second choices of any voters who left their first choice blank will also be considered. If reallocation of these second options does not give a candidate at least 50% plus one vote, third options are considered and so on.

The Associated Press has not declared a winner in the race. Now, that won’t happen until next week, after ballots from all the district’s cities and towns are transported to the state capital and rescanned into a computer at a centralized location.

The initial count was so close that Theriault has already taken the step of requesting a recount, but Theriault’s campaign signaled Friday that it supports the tally.

“There is a process in place and we look forward to the process proceeding according to law,” said Theriault campaign manager Shawn Roderick.

Golden insisted that the ranked choice process is not necessary.

“The rules are clear: A runoff is only necessary if no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the first-choice vote. When clerks reported returns Tuesday, Congressman Golden was the candidate who received more than 50 percent of first-choice votes. Voters have a right to see elections done in both a fair and timely manner,” his campaign said.

Ranked voting usually comes into play in races with more than two candidates on the ballot. Golden and Theriault were the only candidates on the ballot, but write-ins were an option.

Maine has no mandatory recounts, even in close elections. But the state allows candidates to request a recount. The state does not require a recount deposit if the margin of victory is 1 percent or less in congressional races.

The slim margin came in an election in which Republican Donald Trump won the 2nd District, allowing him to pick up one of Maine’s four electoral votes. Maine is one of two states that split the electoral vote.

During the campaign, Golden expressed his ability to work with members of each political party, as well as his support for the lobster industry, which is the lifeblood of the region’s economy.

Theriault, who is up for a first term in the Maine House of Representatives in 2022, spent much of the campaign describing Golden as too liberal for the district. Although Theriault had Trump’s support, he also tried to portray himself as a potential unifier during a divided time in Washington.