Rep. David Price, D-Dist. 4, was re-elected Tuesday night to his 10th term in the U.S. House of Representatives, defeating Republican challenger Steve Acuff.
With all precincts reporting, Price won with about 65 percent of the vote.
The Price campaign could not be reached for comment.
A Duke professor of political science and public policy, Price has been on leave to perform his duties in Washington. Acuff is a retired Air Force colonel and Raleigh businessman. "I feel very much at home here," Price told The Chronicle during a visit to campus last week.
Price has held the District 4 seat since 1986, with the exception of a loss in the 1994 election.
District 4 encompasses all of Durham and Orange counties, which include both Duke and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
As in past years, Price was strongly favored to win the seat for District 4, which is predominantly occupied by Democrats. In the 2004 election, he defeated Republican Todd Batchelor with 64 percent of the vote.
By the end of this year's campaign, Price had accrued a considerable financial advantage over his opponent. The Center for Responsive Politics reported that Price raised more than 10 times the amount of money Acuff raised.
Born in Erwin, Tenn., Price received his undergraduate degree from UNC before going on to receive two post-graduate degrees from Yale University. After graduating, Price returned to academia as a professor at Duke.
Price was briefly removed from Congress in 1994 by Republican Fred Heinemen as part of a national surge by Republican candidates.
Price is one of the highest-ranking Democrats in Congress and serves on one of its most powerful bodies, the House Appropriations Committee, which handles federal government spending.
Within that body, Price serves on two of its subcommittees, Homeland Security and Military Quality of Life and Veterans Affairs.
Yousef AbuGharbieh contributed to this story.
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