Luetkemeyer wins 9th District Congressional election seat

WHAT HAPPENED: Republican incumbent Blaine Luetkemeyer of St. Elizabeth defeated three opponents to win a second term as Missouri's 9th District representative in the U.S. Congress. Luetkemeyer received 162,512 votes, or 77.6 percent of the total. Libertarian Christopher Dwyer of Hallsville received 46,778 votes, or 22.3 percent. Write-in candidate Jeff Reed, a Moberly Democrat, received 162 votes, or 0.1 percent. Another write-in, Ron Burrus, an independent from Columbia, received 0 votes.

LUETEKMEYER'S REACTION: "It has been a great night for us. We are up and ready to go, excited to get back to Washington and get started in January. Tonight, we have been networking with people who have been supporting us. We are excited for the other conservatives who have won."

REED'S REACTION: "I think we did everything we could. We did 100 percent better than we would have done two months ago. The Democrats in the district had no one to vote for, because they wouldn't vote for Luetkemeyer. We filed about two or three months after the ballot. I don't think we have anything to be too upset about."

BURRUS'S REACTION: "It was a write-in late in the game. We will make a run for 2012, and we are going to start tomorrow."

Dwyer could not be reached for comment.

WHAT'S NEXT: Luetkemeyer will begin his second term Jan. 3. It will run through Jan. 3, 2013.

ISSUES: During the campaign, Luetkemeyer emphasized the need to create jobs and balance the federal budget. He also called for an "all-of-the-above" energy policy, which refers to the American Energy Act introduced by Republicans, and ending the nation's dependence on foreign oil.

"If we are going to keep leading the world, we need to have ample and cheap sources of energy," he said. 

Link: Go to Luetkemeyer's website for more information.