Incumbent 4th District Rep. Tom Latham won a resounding victory tonight over Becky Greenwald, cruising to his seventh term representing Iowa in the U.S. Congress.

U.S. Rep. Tom Latham, R-Ames

U.S. Rep. Tom Latham, R-Ames

With 85 percent of precincts reporting, the Ames Republican has received 60 percent of the vote, compared to 40 percent for Greenwald, a Democrat from Perry. That includes winning every one of the north-central district’s 28 counties.

In a speech to supporters at the Gateway Hotel in Ames, Latham said the campaign was successful because it never took victory for granted

“This campaign was run like we were 10 points behind,” he said.

The 4th District race was widely considered to be one of the nation’s most competitive, with Greenwald receiving support form the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and EMILY’s List. Time Magazine named it as one of 12 key races to watch.

Latham was elected as the congressman for Iowa’s 5th District in 1994 as part of the wave that allowed Republicans to take over the House for the first time since 1955. The 2000 round of redistricting, however, significantly altered Iowa’s congressional map and placed Latham in the new 4th District retained only a small portion of his old district.

Since redistricting, Latham has consistently received roughly 60 percent of the vote.