JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (Legal Newsline)-State Rep. Margaret Donnelly, who narrowly lost the Democratic primary in the Missouri attorney general race, is officially requesting a recount, she said Tuesday.

Donnelly lost the primary to State Sen. Chris Koster by 780 votes out of 346,000 ballots cast. The Missouri secretary of state certified the results last week.

Under state law, a recount would be allowed since the race would be decided by less than one percentage point.

"We are following the procedure that the state has established, so at this point it is a legal proceeding," Donnelly said in a statement. "We want to be sure that all voices are heard in this election, which is the common goal that we and the party both share."

The Donnelly campaign has said one one-vote swing in as few as a quarter of precincts would have resulted in Donnelly winning her party's AG nomination.

The law firm of Lathrop & Gage L.C. has been hired to represent Donnelly in the recount.

Handling the case is attorney Richard Rhyne of the firm's Kansas City office. He was chairman of the Donnelly for Attorney General Greater Kansas City-Area Steering Committee.

If the recount does not render Donnelly the winner, Koster will go up against Republican state Senate President Pro Tempore Michael Gibbons of Kirkwood in November's general election.

The candidates are vying to replace outgoing Attorney General Jay Nixon, a Democrat, who is running for Missouri governor.

From Legal Newsline: Reach reporter Chris Rizo at chrisrizo@legalnewsline.com.