The newly redrawn 15th Congressional District will have a familiar face as its first representative in Congress.
At press time, Republican incumbent Steve Stivers defeated Democrat Pat Lang by more than 84,000 votes — a 20-percentage point spread — according to data from the Ohio Secretary of State.
Lang’s only victory in the district was his home county of Athens, where he took just less than 70 percent of the vote.
Stivers said he believes he was re-elected because voters supported his message for a smaller and more active government as the nation moves toward balancing the budget.
“I think (the voters) appreciated that, and they appreciate my message of engagement with the private sector in order to create jobs,” Stivers said. “I’m going to work to move America forward.”
Stivers will make $174,000 as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Lang, who is the law director for the City of Athens, issued a statement after results of the election were released.
“I congratulate Congressman Stivers on his victory,” Lang said in the news release. “I am proud of our campaign to stand up for the middle class.”
Lang said he was grateful for all the support he received, particularly from volunteers, and was excited about his lone victory.
“I’m particularly gratified to have won Athens County, where folks know Jenny and me best,” Lang said.
Now that he is re-elected, Stivers said he wants to focus on the issues at hand.
“We need to roll up our sleeves and address the crises of the country: getting people back to work,” Stivers said. “We need to figure out how to be responsible about spending.”
“I’m impressed with (Stivers’) re-election,” said Stephen Swaim, a Columbus attorney. “It was really close last time around, and he has a good perspective on the economic situation.”
When he returns to Washington, D.C., Stivers said he wants to focus on bipartisanship and the idea that the entire nation needs to work together.
“We are all Americans, and we have to work together to solve these problems that we all face,” he said.
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