Albany Herald

U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop, D-Albany

ALBANY, Ga. -- After defeating Republican challenger John House in the Georgia Second Congressional District race, U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop Jr., D-Albany, said Wednesday said he was grateful to God and the people of the district for the opportunity to continue to serve.

"I am again excited, humbled and honored by the people of the Second District," Bishop said after comfortably beating House by more than 6,000 votes to earn his 11th term in Congress.

The lawmaker picked up 162,416 votes (63.8 percent) to House's 92,315 votes (36.2 percent) in the newly redrawn district.

He was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1992 and has held the seat since taking office in 1993.

"Quite frankly, I never thought I would serve for more than 20 years, but it's been a good 20 years," Bishop said. "I have really enjoyed the opportunity to serve as long as I have. It's allowed me to use the tools and blessings I have been given to help improve the lives of the people in the community and to impact lives in the Second District."

The congressman said he is eager to return to Washington.

"I want to work across the aisle to help continue our country's economy recovery and get our fiscal house in order," Bishop said. "This is not a Democratic challenge, this is not a Republican challenge, this is an American challenge. We owe it to future generations of Americans. This is our obligation as stewards of the public trust."

Bishop feels the country's economic woes are the biggest threat to the nation and must be overcome.

"We have got to balance our budget and get on track for fiscal responsibility in order to compete in the global marketplace," said Bishop. "We have to invest in education, especially in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) to remain competitive. We also need to reinvest in out nation's infrastructure.

"These are the most important challenges we face, and we must confront them with a collective will."