A pair of Republican congressmen who were both indicted on charges related to insider trading and campaign finance fraud won their re-election bids. Both Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., and Rep. Chris Collins, R-N.Y., have been re-elected, although Collins' win was immediately called into question.
"After examining the numbers, the margin is 1% and the will of the voters must be heard. We are demanding a recount. Mr. Collins is going to need another set of lawyers," Collins' Democratic challenger Nate McMurray said late on Tuesday. The race was called by the New York Times, with Collins leading with 49.5 percent of the vote to 48.4 percent.
Voters in New York's 27th district re-elected Collins to a third term — but the Republican didn't cruise to re-election. The race was called by the New York Times, with Collins leading with 49.5 percent of the vote to 48.4 percent.
Collins wasn't supposed to be a vulnerable Republican. He represents a deep red district in Western New York, which President Donald Trump carried by 25 points in 2016, but his campaign was thrown into chaos in August when he was indicted for insider trading. He pleaded not guilty in September. Following Collins' indictment, House Speaker Paul Ryan removed him from the Energy and Commerce Committee and called for a new investigation by the House Ethics Committee.
Another indicted Republican incumbent decisively beat his Democratic challenger.
In California, Duncan Hunter defeated his Democratic opponent, Ammar Campa-Najjar, the son of an Arab father and a Mexican-American mother, by 8 percentage points in one of the state's most competitive races. Before Hunter was indicted on charges of abusing campaign funds, Campa-Najjar was considered a long shot.
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