MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Republican Rep. John Kline has defeated Democrat Mike Obermueller in Minnesota’s 2nd District.

Kline returns to Washington for a sixth term after a tougher-than-usual campaign in a district that was made less conservative through redistricting.

Obermueller pitched himself as an antidote to partisan gridlock after serving a single term in the state Legislature, and he vowed to run again in 2014 no matter the outcome. Kline was defending his record as a member of the Republican leadership team in the House and chairman of the House Education and the Workforce Committee.

The race in the southern Twin Cities suburbs and towns to the south drew more attention than Kline’s past re-election bids because of the district’s new makeup.

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