Republican U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith won reelection to a ninth term in Virginia’s 9th District Tuesday night. He defeated Democrat Joy Powers, a cattle farmer and small business owner from Bedford County.

Unofficial results at 10:28 p.m. with 27 of 28 localities reporting show Griffith with 165,857 votes (65.34 percent) compared to 87,466 votes (34.46 percent) for Powers. Griffith claimed victory at his election night party before The Associated Press called the race.

Candidate records

Griffith has represented the 9th District since 2011. Before entering federal office, he served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1994 to 2011, representing the 8th District. During the campaign, Griffith highlighted his record of protecting conservative family values.

Powers centered her campaign on the protection of rural hospitals and affordability for working families. She criticized Griffith for being unavailable to his constituents. Powers also blamed his party for rising costs.

Financial and district context

Griffith significantly outspent his opponent. He spent nearly six times as much as Powers during the first two weeks of October. The 9th District has trended increasingly Republican in federal and state races since the 1990s. Griffith originally unseated Democratic incumbent Rick Boucher to take the seat in 2010.

The district includes most of Southwest Virginia along with Radford, all of Franklin County and parts of Roanoke and Bedford counties.

Results are unofficial and subject to change. Provisional ballots and eligible mailed absentee ballots have not yet been counted. Results become official after certification by local electoral boards and the State Board of Elections. Race calls are by The Associated Press.

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