The race for the 15th U.S. Congressional District, which has been up in the air since Election Day, has finally been resolved after the Franklin County Board of Elections finished counting provisional ballots on Dec. 7.
According to results released by the board of elections, Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy defeated Republican Steve Stivers by 2,311 votes.
Governor Ted Strickland stated, follow-ing the announcement of Kilroy’s victory, “Congresswoman-elect Kilroy joins other newly-elected Democrats, like John Boccieri and Steve Driehaus, who together represent a new generation of Ohio Demo-crats. They will be strong advocates for the people in Washington. I look forward to working in partnership with the next Congress to rebuild and renew Ohio’s economy.”
Added Ohio Democratic Party Chair-man Chris Redfern, “Mary Jo Kilroy will be a strong, capable voice for the residents of the 15th Congressional District and a great partner for Barack Obama on Capitol Hill. Central Ohio will be well-served by Congresswoman-elect Kilroy’s drive to change Washington and put gov-ernment back on the side of the American people.”
Stivers issued the following statement: “Thirteen months ago, I declared my candidacy in this race for Congress. Each and every day since, I have been honored by the tremendous outpouring of support for my bipartisan message of working together to fix all that is wrong with Washington. Throughout the race, I have been deeply humbled by the tireless volunteers who sacrificed their time and poured their talents and energy into this campaign.
“While I am extremely proud of the race I ran, ultimately, is was not enough. I have called Commissioner Kilroy to congratulate her for her hard-fought victory, and I wish her well in Washington.”
No further recounts are anticipated in this race.
