BRISTOL, Va. – A visibly tired U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith thanked an enthusiastic crowd of supporters Tuesday evening after retaining his 9th District seat in convincing fashion.
Griffith, 58, said he worked polling locations across the district at Pulaski, Marion and Abingdon from 6 a.m. until polls closed at 7 p.m. He will serve a fourth consecutive term representing a district of nearly 10,000 square miles.
The Salem Republican finished with 211,289 unofficial votes, or 68.6 percent, with all but 2 of 366 precincts reporting at press time. Democratic challenger Derek Kitts received 87,223 votes or 28.3 percent and independent Janice Boyd received 9,002, or 2.9 percent.
All results are unofficial until canvassed by city and county election boards.
“I really appreciate the voters of Southwest Virginia and Southside Virginia giving me another two-year term,” Griffith said shortly after 8 p.m. “I will continue to take our values and our ideals to Washington, D.C. Hopefully, they will listen and understand we need economic policies that will help us grow jobs in our region.”
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Griffith, who received 72 percent of the vote two years ago when he had no Democratic opponent, said he campaigned hard throughout the fall.
“I never take anything for granted,” Griffith said. “I worked very hard and I think voters saw what I wanted to accomplish in the next two years and also looking at what I’d already done.”
Griffith carried all 22 counties and six of seven cities within the district. Kitts’ lone victory came in Martinsville, where he tallied 51.8 percent of the vote compared to 42.8 percent for Griffith.
The incumbent netted 68 percent of the vote in Bristol, Virginia, and more than 70 percent each in Buchanan, Lee, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, Wise and Wythe counties.
In speaking with the news media, Griffith repeated his familiar themes of urging Washington to ease restrictions on business to help attract more business to the U.S.
“A better tax policy would be a good place to start. We need businesses investing their money in the United States rather than taking their money overseas or keeping their money overseas,” Griffith said. “I am hopeful working across the aisle, across the House and Senate and whoever the president is, we can get that done.”
Griffith was first elected to the House in 2010, when he upset longtime U.S. Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Abingdon. He previously served as majority leader in the Virginia House of Delegates.
Griffith, who practiced law before serving in Congress, is married with three children.