Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Kosciusko County's representation in the U.S. House of Representatives will not change over the next two years.
Incumbents Tim Roemer, representing northern Kosciusko, and Steve Buyer, representing southern Kosciusko, were returned to office by decisive margins.
Roemer's challenger, Republican Joe Zakas of Granger, received more votes than Roemer in Kosciusko County, but it was a different story elsewhere.
Roemer, a Democrat from South Bend, won a fourth term with 58 percent of the vote across the third congressional district.
Roemer had 109,756 votes late this morning with 98 percent of all precincts reporting. Zakas received 77,952 votes for 41 percent. The Libertarian candidate in the race, Bernie Taylor, got 1 percent with 2,113 votes.
Locally, Zakas had 8,380 for 59 percent of the vote. Roemer had 5,552 for 39 percent.
The percentages in that race were the lowest for a Republican and the highest for a Democrat of all the county vote totals.
"Serving in the U.S. House of Representatives is a high honor and a privilege," Roemer said. "I appreciate the continued support of the voters of northern Indiana and I hope to continue to serve in a manner that merits their trust and support.
"I have worked hard to represent the values and interests of the 3rd District and I will continue to work to bring Hoosier common sense to Washington," he added.
Zakas ran a somewhat negative campaign, attacking Roemer as a liberal in Washington and a conservative in Indiana.
Roemer points to his victory as a victory for positive campaigns.
"I am pleased that the voters responded to my positive campaign based on the issues and my record. I promised to run an upbeat, issue-oriented campaign... The 3rd District has sent a message to the rest of the country that positive campaigns do work. I will take this message to Washington, that voters respond to issue-oriented campaigns that refrain from negative attacks."
Meanwhile, Buyer won one of the most decisive congressional victories in Indiana Tuesday.
Buyer claimed 65 percent of the vote throughout the 5th District, getting twice as many votes as his challenger, 25-year-old Doug Clark.
In Kosciusko County, Buyer received 71 percent of the vote, while Clark got about 26 percent. Libertarian candidate Steve Dillon received 345 votes, representing about 1 percent of the vote.
For Buyer, it was his third election victory.
"This victory reaffirms my commitment to reigning in the excesses of a large federal government, balancing the budget and common sense reforms that positively impact working families all across America," Buyer told supporters Tuesday night.
