Ohio Democrat wins seat in last undecided House race

Well it looks like the Republican landslide is over.

With the GOP ratcheting up three straight wins in the last week in post-election day elections, it almost looked like 1994 all over again (outside of the 21 seat pick-up by the Democrats this year and the 257-178 seat overall advantage in the House of Representatives).

Kilroy is here

But the Democrats won an election in the battle of the leftovers yesterday as Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy beat Republican Steve Stivers by 2,311 votes in Ohio's 15th Congressional District.

Unlike Saturday's election results where two races in Louisiana were finally settled after Hurricane Gustav had delayed the general election, the lateness in Ohio was due to a counting of provisional ballots.  These ballots were given out to people at the polls who believed they were wrongly denied the right to vote.

Take two

This isn't the first time Kilroy has vied for the seat.  Just two years ago she fell 1,062 votes short of defeating Deborah Pryce, the Republican incumbent.  Pryce announced last year she was retiring.

First on the agenda for Kilroy?  Getting re-elected.  It's never too soon to start campaigning.

"It's always a given that you're most vulnerable in your first re-election," she told the Columbus Dispatch. "I will be the first Democrat to hold the title of representative of Ohio's 15th in 40 years. I intend to keep that honor and distinction through hard work, through honorable service to the people of this district."