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Still waiting in the 9th district...

A Gary Peters supporter
Sarah Cwiek
/
Michigan Radio
A Gary Peters supporter

At just past midnight, only about half the votes are in in the 9th district Congressional race.

It's a down-to-the wire battle between Democratic incumbent Gary Peters, and Rocky Raczkowski, a Republican with strong Tea Party ties.

Peters holds a slight edge, but it's still too close to call.

Peters just rallied a flagging crowd here at this Troy headquarters. He struck an optimistic tone even as he acknowledged the race remains tight.

He also acknowledged it's been a very bad night for many of his fellow Democrats. But he credited his supporters with his (relative) success.

“We have really pushed against a very strong wave that came against us. And the way we were able to do that was because each and every one of us in this room put in your heart and soul. You believed in what we were standing up for.”

Peters says he's "standing up" for moderate, practical problem-solving in a divided Washington.

But opponent Raczkowski says Peters is essentially a lapdog for President Obama's agenda, and hasn't listened to Oakland County voters' concerns during his two years in Congress.

Mark Brush was the station's Digital Media Director. He succumbed to a year-long battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer, in March 2018. He was 49 years old.