SARASOTA, Fla. - Republican auto dealer Vern Buchanan narrowly beat Democratic banker Christine Jennings in Tuesday's race for U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris' district, but the contest appeared headed toward a recount because it was so close. With all the expected vote counted, Buchanan had 50.1 percent to 49.9 percent for Jennings - a 364-vote margin. Recounts automatically occur under state law when the difference between two candidates is less than 0.5 percent. Buchanan waited until nearly 1 a.m. Wednesday to claim victory, not mentioning a recount in the district of a woman whose name is synonymous with disputed elections. Harris won the seat in 2002 after she oversaw the 2000 presidential recount as Florida secretary of state. "It's been a long night, but we got the official notice. We won," Buchanan told about 100 supporters remaining from a crowd triple that size earlier. Jennings was not ready to concede the race. She huddled with attorneys after spending much of the evening at her campaign party a nearby restaurant. "We will pick this all up (Wednesday) morning," Jennings said. Jennings campaign attorney Kendall Coffey said the Democrat received numerous reports of voting irregularities, many related to touch-screen voting machines in Sarasota County. He said some machines didn't properly record the candidate that voters picked. "We were hearing from voter after voter about machine irregularities. ... Now at the end of it all, a sub-microscopic margin," Coffey said. "Something very wrong has occurred. We're going to get to the bottom of it." Despite receiving support from numerous political heavyweights, including President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, Buchanan has been dogged by accusations of business malfeasance. Harris would have been a strong favorite to retain her seat if she had run for re-election instead of the U.S. Senate, a race that she lost. Despite Republicans' keeping her congressional seat, the GOP was likely to lose control of the House. Jennings, 60, and Buchanan, 55, were both political newcomers. Buchanan spent big money - much of it his own - to keep the district Republican, as it has been for three decades. There are 67,000 more registered Republicans that Democrats in the district. Harris won the seat in 2002 after she oversaw the 2000 presidential recount as Florida secretary of state. Buchanan and Jennings were both moderates. They pledged to stand up for small businesspeople and the middle class. They are leaders in Sarasota's business community. They even served together on a museum board and call each other friend

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