Pence projected to win Sixth District race

Republican Rep. Greg Pence has won reelection to the U.S. House, the Associated Press declared Tuesday evening.

Pence, of Columbus, received 69.1% of the votes in Johnson County, beating out Democrat Cynthia “Cinde” Wirth, a teacher from Columbus, who received 30.8% votes locally. Though final numbers were not available by press time, the Associated Press called the race for Pence at 8:47 p.m.

The 6th District was recently withdrawn following the 2020 Census, and now includes the entirety of Johnson County. Previously, Johnson County was part of the 9th District, which is currently represented by Rep. Trey Hollingsworth, who is not seeking reelection.

Pence has held the 6th district seat since he was first elected in 2018.

He has served on the committees for transportation and infrastructure, as well as the committee on foreign affairs during his time in Congress. He currently serves on the House energy and consumer protection committee.

One of Pence’s top priorities is to fight inflation legislatively through deregulation. Inflation is affecting everything, including the delivery of goods, he said in an interview with the Daily Journal last month. Another priority is continuing to meet with and provide services to constituents.

Pence has also been vocally opposed to President Joe Biden’s plans for student loan debt relief. Instead of forgiving the loans, he believes lawmakers should address the real issue: rising tuition rates. Additionally, he believes officials should not be moving as swiftly toward green energy sources, he said.