PENNSYLVANIA, USA — Editor's note: The above video is from October 15.
Republican Lloyd Smucker has been re-elected to Congress, defeating Democrat Sarah Hammond in the U.S. House District 11 race, according to the projection by the Associated Press.
Smucker, a political veteran from Lancaster County, will return to the Capitol for a third term.
The 11th District covers all of Lancaster County and portions of southern York County.
Smucker ran as a strong supporter of President Donald Trump in an area that the president won by a 26-percent margin in 2016.
During the campaign, Smucker said the economy and job creation were the two most important issues in his district.
"We need to go back to rebuilding the greatest economy we've ever had," the congressman said. "I was very proud of the work we had done to ensure people have the opportunity to live the 'American Dream.'"
Smucker was among the Republican leaders pushing for Gov. Tom Wolf to re-open Pennsylvania ahead of the state’s phased COVID-19 reopening plan in May.
He presented data at the time that said Lancaster County officials expected about 1,500 hospitalizations because of COVID-19, but “the peak just simply never occurred.”
Hammond, 27, was running in her second political campaign. The progressive candidate from Hanover, York County lost in her attempt to unseat incumbent State Sen. Doug Mastriano in the 33rd District in 2019.
She is a community volunteer in York, and a field hockey coach at her alma mater, Hanover Senior High School.
Prior to joining Congress, Smucker was a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate, representing District 13 from 2008 to 2016, and a Town Supervisor for West Lampeter Township.