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By JOSELYN KING
Staff Writer
WHEELING -- U.S. Rep. David B. McKinley will serve a sixth term in the U.S. House.
Voters on Tuesday opted to return McKinley, R-West Virginia, to Washington.
With the votes from 18 of the 20 counties in 1st District counted, McKinley had received 158,692 votes and Democrat Natalie Cline had 74,070.
Both McKinley and Cline are residents of Wheeling. In Ohio County, McKinley received 13,021 votes; and Cline, 6,373.
"It's an honor to get re-elected six times," McKinley said.
He said his campaign had been concerned about the high number of absentee ballots, and that these were expected to be Democratic votes.
"There was a record turnout across the country, and I didn't know what would happen," he said.
It is expected West Virginia will lose a House seat following the 2020 census and redistricting.
McKinley was reluctant to say now whether he will seek a seventh term in 2022.
"We're not thinking about it now," he said. "For now lets just do what we have to do -- and that's take care of the fossil fuel industry and health care. We have to stay focused."
McKinley, 73, is a civil engineer who founded his own firm, McKinley and Associates, based in Wheeling.
Prior to being elected to the House in 2010, he served in the West Virginia House of Delegates from 1980 through 1994. He also was chairman of the West Virginia Republican Party from 1990-94.
Earlier this month, McKinley said his focus in Congress -- if re-elected -- would be on reducing America's reliance on China and bringing manufacturing back, lowering the cost of prescription drugs, and protecting West Virginia energy jobs.