Dingell, Peters won closest races of career, state while running on - not from - legislative record

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U.S. Reps. John Dingell, Gary Peters won closest races of career, state while running on -- not from -- controversial legislative victories
Published: Thursday, November 04, 2010, 10:39 AM Updated: Thursday, November 04, 2010, 11:15 AM
Jonathan Oosting | MLive.com


Two high-profile Metro Detroit Democrats bucked a national trend this week and held off Republican challengers to earn re-election. Their victories were not easily earned in an election cycle dominated by rejection of the status quo, but both won, in part, by running on -- not from -- their legislative victories.

U.S. Rep. John Dingell earned his 29th term on Tuesday when he defeated cardiologist Rob Steele by around 35,000 votes in Michigan's 15th Congressional District. The Dearborn Democrat's 17-point margin of victory was the slimmest of his 55-year career, according to analysis published Wednesday on The University of Minnesota's Smart Politics blog.

Dingell, the longest-serving member of the House, has enjoyed an average 47.3-point margin of victory since winning his first election in 1955. He won by 45.7 percent in 2008 and 88 percent in 2006, when the Republican party didn't even bother fielding an opponent.

Prior to Tuesday, Dingell's slimmest victory came in 1994, when he defeated Republican Ken Larkin by a 19.3-point margin. Like 2010, Dingell survived a massive swing of more than 50 seats that year as Republicans wrestled control of the House two years into a Democratic presidency.

Unlike many of his peers who lost this election cycle, Dingell proudly touted his role in passing controversial health care reform legislation, a risky move that may have cost him some votes in what turned out to be his hardest-fought election to date. Health care has been a career-long mission for Dingell, however, and he referenced his fight during his victory speech Tuesday night.

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http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2010/11/john_dingells_win_was_closest.html