Rep. Betty McCollum wins 12th term in U.S. House

The dean of Minnesota's congressional delegation won a 12th term in Washington on Tuesday.

U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum won handily in the reliably Democratic Fourth District seat that covers a large part of Washington County along with much of Ramsey County. She faced challenger Republican May Lor Xiong.

McCollum, who leads the House appropriations subcommittee handling defense spending, is one of the most powerful Minnesotans on Capitol Hill despite her under-the-radar approach to politics. She decided to run for another term even though Republicans potentially retaking the House this fall would put Democrats in the minority and cut into the control the left can have on Capitol Hill.

McCollum said in an interview last month that she was running on her record "of working and listening to what people care about. We're hearing a lot about women's rights at the door."

Tuesday's contest marked the end of an election cycle that tested the incumbent's standing in the seat she held for years. McCollum contended with intraparty opposition in the August primary when Democratic operative Amane Badhasso tried for an upset. McCollum won the summer's DFL contest by 68 percentage points after a heated campaign.

Federal campaign finance records show Xiong lagged far behind McCollum's fundraising and spending this election cycle. The Republican candidate pointed to concerns about crime and inflation during her run for the seat.