Republican Mike Kelly wins sixth House term in Pennsylvania

Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) is projected to win reelection, defeating Democrat Kristy Gnibus in Pennsylvania’s 16th Congressional District.

The Associated Press called the race Wednesday morning with 75 percent of precincts reporting. Kelly had 67 percent of the vote compared to Gnibus’s 33 percent. 

Kelly, a car-dealership owner, was first elected to Congress in 2010. He is a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee, serving as the top Republican on the panel’s oversight subcommittee.

As a Trump ally, Kelly appeared at a rally with the president in October. Gnibus, a teacher and cancer survivor, was endorsed by Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.

Gnibus attacked Kelly during the campaign by arguing that the congressman has used his position to pursue policies from which he personally benefits. Kelly has defended his businesses receiving loans under the Paycheck Protection Program, saying he is not involved in the operations of his dealerships.

The race had been listed as “likely Republican” by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.