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Republicans pick up another House seat as Martha McSally wins in Arizona

By Frances Burns
Martha McSally. Photo courtesy McSally For Congress
Martha McSally. Photo courtesy McSally For Congress

PHOENIX, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Republican Martha McSally was declared the winner Wednesday in Arizona's second congressional district, the last contested race of the 2014 midterm elections.

The victory, with a 167-vote margin, gives the party 247 seats in the new Congress. Democrats hold 188.

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Superior Court Judge Katherine Cooper announced the results.

Freshman Rep. Ron Barber was the loser. The seat had been held by Democrats since Gabrielle Giffords, who left Congress after being almost killed in a shooting that left six others dead, was elected in 2006.

After the Nov. 4 election, McSally had a 161 vote lead. She picked up six votes during the automatic recount.

"There's no getting around that this was an incredibly close and hard-fought race," McSally said in a statement. "After what's been a long campaign season, it's time to come together and heal our community. That's why my focus will be on what unites us, not what divides us, such as providing better economic opportunity for our families and ensuring our country and community are kept safe."

McSally, the first woman to fly in combat for the U.S. Air Force, lost to Barber by fewer than 2,000 votes in 2012. This time, Americans United For Sensible Solutions, a gun control group founded by Giffords, spent $2 million supporting Barber.

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"Martha stood on principle and supported our constitutional freedoms, despite being relentlessly attacked by the gun control movement," Chris W. Cox, chairman of the NRA Political Victory Fund said in a statement hailing McSally's win. "Michael Bloomberg and national anti-gun groups were dealt a significant blow by Second Amendment supporters across the country on election day. A clear takeaway from these elections is that voters do not support Michael Bloomberg's extreme anti-gun agenda."

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