Pennsylvania Republican Fred Keller projected to win special House election

Pennsylvania state Rep. Fred Keller was projected to easily defeat Democrat Marc Friedenberg in Tuesday’s special election to represent the Keystone State’s 12th District in the House of Representatives.

With 81 percent of precincts reporting, Keller had received 70 percent of the vote, compared to 30 percent for Friedenberg.

Keller would complete the two-year term begun by Republican Tom Marino, who resigned in January, just three weeks into his fifth House term. With Keller’s victory, the House comprises 235 Democrats and 198 Republicans. Two seats in North Carolina are vacant pending the outcome of special elections later this year.

Tuesday’s result is no surprise, as the 12th District is solidly Republican and voters there backed Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election by a margin of better than 2 to 1 over Democrat Hillary Clinton.

WATCH: America250 backdrop topples near Shapiro, Revolutionary War reenactors

Navy scraps Biden-era submarine contract as overhaul costs surge toward $3B

Unfortunate Video: Mamdani Thought Walking Through NYC Was a Great Photo Op, Then People Noticed What Was Behind Him

Report: Roger Stone Stepped in and ‘Saved’ Tulsi Gabbard from Being Fired by Trump

Nation’s second-largest school district targeted by Trump over secretive trans policy

Video: Hunter Biden Hits New Rock Bottom, Agrees to Insane Cage Match Against Don Jr., Eric Trump

BREAKING IMPEACHMENT NEWS: Hearings on Tim Walz, Keith Ellison Impeachment to Begin Next Week

Artemis II crew closes in on Earth as mission ends with Pacific splashdown and more top headlines

Midwest nasty: ‘Hoosier nice’ gets swamped in Trump White House’s redistricting revenge tour against Indiana Republicans

Sanford bets he can withstand likely Trump campaign jabs

Progressives in Washington, California, and Hawaii want to squeeze the wealthy

Rep Randy Fine joins House Freedom Caucus: ‘Strongest group of conservative patriots in Congress’

American couple’s Bahamas dinghy was ill-equipped for conditions night of wife’s disappearance: friend

Hormuz choke point persists as Iran halts oil traffic despite Trump ceasefire

DoorDash data offers snapshot of economy voters are feeling ahead of midterms

Trump himself urged his supporters to back Keller at a Monday night rally in Montoursville, telling the fifth-term state legislator, “We’ve got to win tomorrow, Fred.” He endorsed Keller on Twitter earlier Tuesday, calling the Republican “Strong on Crime, Second Amendment, Military, Vets, and Healthcare,” and saying Keller had “my Complete and Total Endorsement!”

Pennsylvania – Don’t forget to get out and VOTE TODAY for Republican Fred Keller for Congress. Fred is Strong on Crime, Second Amendment, Military, Vets, and Healthcare. He has my Complete and Total Endorsement!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 21, 2019

Keller reciprocated Trump’s support Monday night, offering a rousing endorsement of the president and vowing to support his policies in Congress, saying the people of the district “have been behind you since Day One, and, Mr. President, our support for you is as strong today as it ever was.”

He also said, “In 2016, Pennsylvania put Donald Trump over the top, and in 2020, we’re going to do it again.”