Brother of Vice President Pence Wins in Indiana
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The Latest on elections to the U.S. House of Representatives (all times local):
9 p.m.
Republican Rep. Andy Barr of Kentucky won a close-fought race that Democrats had targeted in a bid to shift the House to Democratic control.
Barr turned back a strong challenge from Democrat Amy McGrath in a district that supported President Donald Trump two years ago.
McGrath, a retired fighter pilot, gave Barr his toughest test yet as he sought a fourth term. Barr urged voters to re-elect him for his “access and influence with this administration,” while McGrath countered with a message of “country over party.”
Barr won by 22 points in 2016, but McGrath waged an aggressive challenge, including TV ads showing her in front of fighter jets and with her young children.
The district includes Lexington and capital Frankfort. The seat has switched parties five times since 1978.
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8:50 p.m.
In Indiana, Greg Pence, an older brother of Vice President Mike Pence, has won a heavily Republican House seat that his famous sibling once held.
The 61-year-old Pence, an owner of two antique malls, defeated Democrat Jeannine Lee Lake, who publishes a bimonthly Muncie newspaper.
The eastern Indiana seat is open because Republican Rep. Luke Messer ran in the GOP primary for the Senate. Greg Pence is one of Mike Pence’s three brothers.
Greg Pence is a Marine veteran and once ran a chain of convenience stores.
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8:30 p.m.
Republican Rep. Barbara Comstock of Virginia was the first congressional incumbent to lose as voters in her Northern Virginia district expressed their continued dislike of President Donald Trump.
Democratic state Sen. Jennifer Wexton won an easy victory in the wealthy suburban district outside Washington, which Hillary Clinton won by 10 percentage points.
Comstock tried hard to emphasize her independence from Trump, but Wexton, a former prosecutor, portrayed the two-term incumbent as a Trump ally out of touch with the diverse, well-educated district.
Comstock easily beat a Democrat in 2016 when her district went for Clinton.
The national focus on the race helped Comstock and Wexton raise more than $5 million in all, while outside groups spent more than $10 million.
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8:25 p.m.
Donna Shalala has won a U.S. House seat in Florida, making her the first Democrat to flip a GOP seat on Tuesday night.
After serving in President Bill Clinton’s Cabinet and running major universities, Shalala is starting a third career with her election to the House.
The 77-year-old Democrat won Tuesday in a Miami district that had long been in Republican hands. Shalala has sought to turn her age into a positive by stressing her experience with this slogan: “Ready on Day One.”
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