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As Republicans again claimed victory on behalf of U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson on Thursday night, Bernalillo County officials said a final tally of votes in the 1st Congressional District race should be available this afternoon.

About 125 votes remain to be counted today, and officials said they hope to tabulate results from more than 1,500 ballots counted Thursday.

Wilson went into Thursday leading Democratic state Attorney General Patricia Madrid by 1,164 votes. She first proclaimed victory Nov. 8.

Though Bernalillo County officials did not release results of the votes counted Thursday, Republicans said their tracking of the results showed Madrid gaining at least 286 votes, hundreds fewer than she needed to take the lead.

The Republican numbers did not include the 125 uncounted votes and an additional 150 or so ballots counted late Thursday, but Republicans said Wilson's lead - which they estimated at 875 votes - was safe.

The figures were based on data collected by party observers watching the vote count, Wilson campaign manager Enrique Carlos Knell said.

State Democratic party Executive Director Matt Farrauto dismissed the GOP's numbers.

"Regardless of the counting tally, the closeness of this race amounts to an indictment of Heather Wilson's rubber-stamp of failed Bush policies," he said.

Democrats have said they might seek a recount depending on the final vote results.

A hotly contested race that drew millions in national political party cash and blanketed Albuquerque airwaves with mostly negative advertisements, the battle for Congressional District 1 has come down to a weeklong vote count handled largely by temporary workers who make $9.80 an hour, plus overtime.

Most have worked 12 hours or more daily all week. Joined by volunteer observers from both parties, they were at their tables at the county election warehouse well past 10 p.m. Thursday as officials stared down a deadline today.

"If I have any team members who are really, really almost falling, please identify yourselves now so you can go home," Bureau of Elections Coordinator Jeff Carbajal told workers around 9 p.m. None took the offer.

The Bernalillo County Commission will convene a canvassing board to finalize results at 9 tonight.

Elections administrator Jaime Diaz estimated the vote counting would wrap up by 2 p.m. today.

What was counted Thursday:

1,494 provisional ballots found to be valid. Another 1,000 provisional ballots were disqualified this week.

An estimated 150 provisional ballots that had been put into a "suspense file" but were determined to be valid.

Results of those ballots weren't available Monday night.

About 125 ballots remain to be counted. They include:

71 "in lieu of" ballots cast by people who requested an absentee ballot but showed up at the polls anyway. Those ballots were rejected by counting machines and are being hand tallied.

Eight ballots pulled from a review of previously disqualified provisional and "in lieu of" ballots. Those ballots were determined to be valid based on a revised standard involving the way voters signed the ballots, officials said.

An estimated 40 to 50 "in lieu of" ballots that had been placed in the "suspense file" but were determined to be valid.