SCRANTON, Pa. -- Supporters of Congressman Matt Cartwright gathered at the Hilton Scranton and Conference Center in downtown Scranton Tuesday night.
Cartwright was running for a fourth term in the US House, but even as an incumbent, he was new to more than half of voters.
Cartwright, the Democrat, claimed victory in the newly-formed 8th District instead of the former 17th where he previously served.
Cartwright and his family made their grand entrance into his election night party just after 10 p.m.
Cartwright showed strong leads in the existing parts of his district early on, allowing him to hold a healthy lead over his opponent, Republican John Chrin, the entire evening.
Cartwright admitted that this was a tougher campaign than his past elections because of the newly formed district.
We spoke to Cartwright moments after claiming victory. He was thinking about how his race would affect the Democrats' efforts to take back control of the House of Representatives.
In his speech, Cartwright thanked his opponent, John Chrin.
Cartwright, a Democrat, was born in Erie. He joined the law firm founded by his wife’s family in Scranton and worked at Munley, Munley and Cartwright for more than two decades.
He beat incumbent Democrat Tim Holden in the 2012 primary and defeated Laureen Cummings in the general election. He defeated David Moylan, a radiation oncologist in 2014 and won a third term with a victory over Matt Connolly in 2016.
