Tim Ryan, Democratic representative for U.S. 13th Congressional District, defeats opponents Thomas Pekarek, a Republican, and David Allen Pastorius, an Independent write-in, in the race for the district.

Ryan had 73.31 percent of the vote at 8:50 p.m., according to vote.ohio.gov. He has represented the district, formerly Ohio’s 17th district, since 2003. Ryan said he wants to further fund economic development, increase funding for research at Kent State and increase Pell grants, which give money to students without them having to pay it back.

“I’m really excited to have another two years, and we’ve got a lot of momentum with economic development projects to help grow the economy and create opportunity for people,” Ryan said. “And we’ve got a lot more work to do, and I’m excited that we’ve got another couple years to do it.”

Ryan has worked on revitalizing downtown Kent as part of the Kent Central Gateway project, decreasing the influence of banks on student loans and increasing Pell Grants for students.

Contact Patrick Williams at [email protected].