QUEENS, N.Y. - The race for the democratic nominee for Queens District Attorney is heating up after absentee and affadavit votes were counted with sources saying Melinda Katz had pulled ahead of previous frontrunner Tiffany Cabán by just 20 votes.

There will now be a full manual recount.

• Sources: Katz Pulls Ahead of Cabán in Queens DA Paper Ballot Count

Speaking exclusively to NY1 on Thursday, Katz said she remains confident she will become the next DA of Queens.

She said her supporters trust her to lead the borough, reform the criminal justice system while keeping families safe and tackle issues like gun control and human trafficking.

Speaking about the recount, Katz called for patience and said every vote must be counted.

"We said from the Primary Day on June 25th that every vote needs to be counted, that everyone has a voice in this borough and that it was important that there be an accurate count. So I was pretty confident that we would pull ahead, I'm glad that we are here today, I know it's 20 votes, the recount will count every single vote in the borough once again, as it should be," Katz said.

On election night, Tiffany Cabán declared victory after leading by just over a thousand votes. Her campaign says they remain confident she will prevail when all votes are counted.

In a statement they said, "Our campaign, and all of Queens, is up against a party machine that has ruled local politics and suppressed democracy for decades. Our communities are calling for a criminal justice system that ends mass incarceration, uplifts our black and brown communities, and decriminalizes poverty—rather than protecting the powerful. I am humbled every day by the volunteer effort we have built in this campaign. We are still fighting to make sure every valid ballot is counted. We are confident that if that happens, we will be victorious."