Steve King won the Fourth Congressional District of Iowa, beating out Christie Vilsack. 

King will be serving his sixth term. As of 11:15 p.m. Tuesday, 80 percent of precincts reported King leading 55 percent to Vilsack’s 43 percent.

“Steve King is a good representative of the Fourth District. He cares about the people of Iowa first,” said Kyle Etzel, president of the ISU College Republicans. “He is also a genuine 4th District person; he’s lived his whole life in this district and also is a small business owner.”

The race between King and Vilsack was highlighted by platforms such as the Farm Bill, education, health care and taxes. The race was seen as very tight the whole season, with King only maintaining a poll margin of two percent from the beginning of October.

Iowa State Senate candidate Dane Nealson gave a reason why people of the 4th District elected King.

“Iowans voted for King because they know where King will always stand,” Nealson said.

The 4th Congressional District race also garnered national attention as the Republicans fought to maintain control of the U.S. House.

King’s victory could be attested to the Fourth District having 53,000 more registered Republicans than Democrats; the district also has Iowa’s largest number of registered Independents.

Members of the group Cyclones for Vilsack expressed their concerns with the re-election of King.

“He is the incumbent and we can expect the status quo in Congress to continue,” said Spencer Hughes, treasurer for Cyclones for Vilsack. “We will see the gridlock in Congress also continue as he is a leader [of the House].”

The new 4th Congressional District, which consists of 39 Iowa counties, is the largest district in Iowa by size. It includes cities such as Sioux City, Fort Dodge, Mason City and Ames.

Democratic challenger Christie Vilsack held her party at the Gateway Hotel in Ames and Congressman Steve King held his victory party in his hometown of Kiron, Iowa.