Kilroy's victory over Republican Steve Stivers put the 15th Congressional District into Democratic hands following the retirement from Congress of U.S. Rep. Deborah Pryce, a Republican.

Franklin County elections officials released unofficial results Sunday that showed Kilroy with a margin of victory of 2,311 votes out of roughly 300,000 cast, enough to avoid an automatic recount. Kilroy went into the counting of about 24,000 provisional ballots - about 40 percent of them cast in the congressional district - down by 594 votes.

"I am very proud to serve our community as the next congresswoman from central Ohio," Kilroy said in a statement. "In Washington, I will work together with both Democrats, Republicans and president-elect Obama to tackle the real problems that our community faces."

With Kilroy's victory, the Ohio congressional delegation consists of 10 Democrats and eight Republicans.

Kilroy narrowly lost election to the congressional seat in 2006, when she came within fewer than 2,000 votes of unseating Pryce. That race required a re-count.

Stivers conceded the race Sunday night.

"While I am extremely proud of the race I ran, ultimately, it was not enough," Stivers said in a written statement. "I have called Commissioner Kilroy to congratulate her for her hard-fought victory, and I wish her well in Washington."

The district saw one of the nation's most fiercely competitive races, with Kilroy spending more than $2.5 million and Stivers spending more than $2 million during the campaign.

Kilroy becomes the first Democrat to represent central Ohio in Congress in 26 years.

Previous Stories:

November 13, 2008: Congressional Race Hangs With High Court
November 5, 2008: Recount Likely In 15th District Race

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