Rep. Harry Mitchell will continue to represent Arizona’s fifth Congressional District.

According to the Arizona Secretary of State’s Web site, the Democratic incumbent won 53 percent of the vote with 96 percent of the polls reporting in. His Republican opponent David Schweikert received 44 percent of the vote.

Libertarian candidate Warren Severin received three percent of the vote.

Mitchell, an ASU alumnus, has represented Congressional District 5 in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2007, after defeating J.D. Hayworth in the 2006 election. Prior to being in the U.S. House of Representatives, Mitchell had been the mayor of Tempe and served in the Arizona Legislature, according to his Web site.

Schweikert, another ASU alum, has been the Treasurer of Maricopa County and a representative in the Arizona House of Representatives.

According to his campaign’s Web site, Schweikert and his wife Joyce live in Fountain Hills where they run a real estate business together.

Schweikert’s experience as Maricopa County’s treasurer made him the better choice for Arizona, his campaign manager Bill Connor said.

He said Schweikert would have created more discussion about October’s bailout legislation if he were in Congress, something Connor said was lacking.

He said the Democrat’s financial advantage allowed Mitchell to buy more TV advertisements.

“No matter how untrue it is, if it’s shown on TV that much it’s going to stick,” Connor said.

Mitchell’s campaign spent about $2 million in his campaign for reelection in 2008, according to the Federal Election Commission.

Schweikert’s campaign spent about $1.2 million.

“He hasn’t ruled out running again,” Connor said. “But the first thing he’s going to do is catch up on his sleep.”

Mitchell’s campaign could not be reached for comment at press time.

Congressional District 5 encompasses Tempe, Scottsdale and much of northeast Maricopa County.

Reach the reporter at cogino@asu.edu.