Reed, Langevin, Kennedy all win re-election

PROVIDENCE—U.S. Sen. Jack Reed defeated Republican Robert Tingle, a casino pit boss from southern Rhode Island, on Tuesday to win a third term.

U.S. Rep. Jim Langevin defeated a Republican marketing consultant to win re-election to the House, while U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy beat back two challengers to keep his seat in Congress.

Reed, a West Point graduate and member of the Senate Armed Services committee, has been an outspoken critic of the Iraq war. He visited Iraq last summer with Barack Obama, and was briefly mentioned as a possible running mate.

Reed has called for a new economic stimulus package to help the country emerge from a financial crisis.

Tingle, a pit boss at Foxwoods Resort Casino who declined to accept campaign contributions, argued that he better understood working-class financial pressures. He also ran against Reed in 2002.

The call was based on an analysis of voter interviews, conducted for The Associated Press by Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International.

Kennedy, a Democrat and son of U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., defeated Republican Jonathan Scott and independent Kenneth Capalbo to win his eighth term. Both candidates had also run unsuccessfully against Kennedy in 2006.

Kennedy, who has been outspoken about his past struggles with depression and substance abuse, has said he would use his new two-year term to work on mental health care issues.

Kennedy is an heir to a storied political dynasty and the senior Rhode Island member of the House. His win comes just months after his father was diagnosed with brain cancer.

Langevin, also a Democrat, beat Mark Zaccaria, a former North Kingstown town councilman, to earn a fifth term in Congress.

Langevin, paralyzed in a shooting accident as a teenager, is the first quadriplegic to serve in the House. He has been a strong supporter of stem cell research, saying he hoped it could eventually lead to cures for spinal cord injuries and illnesses such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases.

Langevin has said introducing a universal health care plan was his primary accomplishment.

Zaccaria, a fiscal conservative making his first bid for Congress, had faulted Langevin and federal lawmakers for approving increased government spending.

Election Results