U.S. Rep. Reid Ribble re-elected

APPLETON, Wis. (AP) - In his second go around in the race for the 8th Congressional District seat, Reid Ribble wanted to win by a bigger margin than he did two years ago.

"One of the things I had hoped would happen was the voters here in Northeast Wisconsin would send a message to me that would affirm the work that I've been trying to do" Said Ribble.

Ribble's wish came true, beating Democratic challenger Jamie Wall.

"We just need to make sure the country will be the kind of place regular people who work hard, who do the right thing, people like my family are able to get ahead in life," said Wall.

With his second term assured, Ribble says the focus is now working together in Washington.

"For me I began to build some relationships with some of my colleagues across the aisle to see if we can find areas of common agreement," said Ribble.

Ribble says the main areas of concerns for his second term will be creating jobs and cutting the national deficit.

In Howard, Ben Krumholz, FOX 11 News.

_______________

Congressional candidate Jamie Wall and his campaign remained optimistic for most of Tuesday night.

But as more precincts began to report in, he finally conceded to incumbent Reid Ribble.

"I wish it could have worked out differently, but I don't regret making this fight when I decided to run. I thought what was going on in Washington was a real problem for this country and we could and should do better," said Wall.

Wall thanked his supporters and said he was proud of the work he's done and to have made it this far.

Reid Ribble commended Wall for his efforts.  But says he's ready for his 2nd term.

"My job is to represent the voices of Northeast Wisconsin. To the best of my ability, I'm going to continue to do that," said Ribble.

This was Wall's second run for this office.
     
Wall left right after he gave his speech.  He did not take any questions from reporters.

His communications director also declined to comment on-camera, but when asked if this is Wall's last run for office, he says at this point, that's still up in the air.

In Green Bay, Beth Jones, FOX 11 News.

_______________

Freshman U.S. Rep. Reid Ribble has turned back a strong Democratic challenge to retain his seat in northeastern Wisconsin's 8th District.
    
Ribble defeated Democrat Jamie Wall on Tuesday in a race where Democrats thought they had a credible chance to pick up a U.S. House seat. It had been held by a Democrat for two terms before Ribble was elected with help from the tea party in 2010.
    
Ribble, who runs his family's roofing business, sits on the House's agriculture and budget committees.
    
Wall, a high-tech business consultant, was raised on a dairy farm. He won a Rhodes scholarship while at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
    
Ribble had a large fundraising advantage as of mid-October, having $2.3 million compared to Wall's $1 million. Ribble also got more help from outside groups.