Gibbs wins re-election in Ohio's 7th Congressional District

Republican Congressman Bob Gibbs cruised to re-election in Ohio's 7th Congressional District on Tuesday, according to preliminary results. The results showed the incumbent Gibbs taking 222,918 votes, compared to 95,563 for Democratic challenger Quentin Potter and 10,866 for Libertarian challenger Brandon Lape. That's 68 percent for Gibbs, 29 percent for Potter and 3 percent for Lape. There are outstanding ballots to be counted, so the vote could change. The race was called early by the Associated Press in Gibbs' favor. In a statement, Gibbs thanked voters for their support and said every election is an opportunity for Americans to make their voices heard. "As every election before, I will take their voices to Washington, represent the men and women of the 7th District, and make sure their voices are loud and clear," Gibbs said. "We started the year with a booming economy and opportunity for all Americans. I am confident we will be able to return to a safe, healthy and prosperous America." Gibbs, 66, has served in the U.S. Congress since 2011. He previously served in the Ohio House of Representatives and the Ohio Senate. Reached by phone, Lape said he was pleased to have earned at least 3 percent of the vote as a third-party candidate. "I breached the 10,000 vote mark, which was higher than I even expected to get," Lape said, adding that he enjoyed running and visiting as many communities in the district as he could. Lape may consider running against Gibbs in the Republican primary next time he is up for re-election, he said. Calls to a number provided by Potter would not go through Tuesday night. Contact Dylan Reynolds at (440) 329-7123 or dreynolds@chroniclet.com. Follow him on Twitter @drey1357.