Incumbent Republican Steve Chabot withstood a spirited challenge from Democrat John Cranley.

        Mr. Chabot defeated Mr. Cranley, 53 percent to 44 percent. Libertarian David Groshoff had 2 percent and Richard Stevenson of the Natural Law Party had 1 percent.

        “I always expected it to be a tough race,” Mr. Chabot. “I am in a district drawn with a Democrat in mind. Some speculated that this would not be a tough race, but we took it seriously.”

        This could have been the most difficult re-election campaign Mr. Chabot faces in the foreseeable future.

        Next year, when the final 2000 census figures come out, the Republicans in the Ohio Statehouse, who will control the redrawing of congressional district lines, are likely to make the 1st Congressional District a place much more friendly to Republican candidates — probably by adding suburban areas of western and northern Hamilton County.

        Mr. Chabot first won the seat in 1994, defeating incumbent Democrat David Mann in the election that saw the Republicans gain control of Congress for the first time in over 40 years.

        In elections since then, Mr. Chabot has faced a series of well-financed opponents and has never won re-election with more than 53 percent of the vote.

        After Cincinnati Mayor Roxanne Qualls tried and failed to unseat Mr. Chabot in 1998, Democratic leaders in Washington cooled on the idea that they could take Mr. Chabot out.

        Late last year and early this year, well-known Democrats like Cincinnati Councilman Todd Portune and State Sen. Mark Mallory passed on the chance to run against Mr. Chabot, forcing the Democrats to turn to Mr. Cranley, a 26-year-old Price Hill native fresh out of Harvard Law School and Harvard Divinity School who had never run for office before.

        The Cranley campaign's Exhibit A was Mr. Chabot's vote in early October against an $18.8 billion interior appropriations bill, which Mr. Chabot called full of political “pork” and a “budget-buster.” The bill passed the House on a vote of 348-69.

        But the appropriations bill also contained $6 million for construction of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. Mr. Cranley accused Mr. Chabot of being willing to sacrifice an important project in his district for a misguided principle.

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Chabot holds off Cranley
Cincinnati school levy passes
Confusion over where to vote
Hamilton County issues
Other Hamilton County races
Other Hamilton County school levies
DeWine coasts to re-election
Driehaus keeps House seat for Dems
Environmental issue wins in Ohio
GOP wins Ohio Senate races
Local judge loses Supreme Court bid
Portman wins easy re-election
Resnick holds off challenge for bench
Supreme Court campaign tests system's integrity
Taft: Volunteers delivered Ohio win to Bush
Boehner wins sixth term
Butler County issues
Boone replaces property valuation administrator
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Campbell County races
Clermont County issues
Covington school chairman ousted
Crockett ends Buring's long reign
Draud prepares for second term
Edmondson, Bohman join Covington Commission
Furmon, Fox hold commission seats
Incumbents win 23 of 34 school board seats
Incumbents win four of six Florence seats
Kenner completes GOP hold on commission
Kentucky re-elects six to Congress
Ky. rewards Bush for frequent visits
Little Miami school levy fails
Long lines at voting booths
Lucas cruises back to Congress
Machine's votes counted twice
Newcomers wrest control of Ludlow council
Other Butler County races
Other Kenton County races
Piper claims hard-won victory
Strickland trounces GOP challenger
Walker elected to Clermont Co. commission
Warren County issues
Waynesville mayor recalled
Westwood, Roeding win Ky. Senate seats
Woltenberg retains role as court clerk