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Republican Rep. Mike Kelly holds onto his seat in Pennsylvania's 16th Congressional District after a challenge from Democrat Kristy Gnibus

Nov 5, 2020, 16:21 IST
Business Insider
Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., walks through the hallway outside of Statuary Hall as House of Representatives takes up articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump in the Capitol on Wednesday Dec. 18, 2019.Caroline Brehman/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
  • The GOP incumbent Rep. George "Mike" Kelly Jr. has successfully defended his seat in Pennsylvania's 16th Congressional District from a challenge by the Democrat Kristy Gnibus, according to Decision Desk HQ.
  • The district is located in northwestern Pennsylvania and is home to portions of Butler, Crawford, Erie, Lawrence, and Mercer counties.
  • In 2018, Kelly defeated his Democratic challenger by 4.3 points — the closest election of Kelly's political career.
  • See the live coverage and full results from all US House elections.
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The Republican incumbent Rep. George "Mike" Kelly Jr. has won reelection in Pennsylvania's 16th Congressional District after a challenge from the Democrat Kristy Gnibus.

The candidates

Kelly owns a car dealership and previously served as a city councilman in Butler, where he sat on the Housing and Redevelopment Authority of the County of Butler. He served as the representative for Pennsylvania's 3rd Congressional District for four terms before being redistricted to the 16th Congressional District.

In 2018, he narrowly beat out Ronald DiNicola by 4.3 points — the closest election of his political career.

Gnibus, a teacher and cancer survivor, is a current doctoral student at Gannon University. Her campaign platform was centered on criminal-justice reform, combatting climate change, and affordable healthcare.

See live coverage and full results for the US presidential election

The district

Pennsylvania's 16th Congressional District is located in northwestern Pennsylvania. The district is home to parts of Butler, Crawford, Erie, Lawrence, and Mercer counties and the cities of Erie, Sharon, Hermitage, Butler, and Meadville.

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The state's congressional map was redrawn in 2018 after the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania ruled that the state's previous congressional map was unconstitutionally gerrymandered to favor Republicans.

Donald Trump would have overwhelmingly carried the district under its current boundaries by 18 points, 58% to 40%, over Hillary Clinton in 2016, according to the Daily Kos.

The money race

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Kelly raised $2 million, spent a little over $974,000, and had about $1.1 million in cash on hand at the end of his campaign, while Gnibus raised about $519,000, spent about $482,000, and had about $37,000 in cash on hand.

What experts say

The race between Kelly and Gnibus was rated as "likely Republican" by The Cook Political Report and "safe Republican" according to Inside Elections and Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics.

Expanded Coverage Module: insider-voter-guide
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