Incumbent Democrat Keith Ellison secured a victory over opponent Frank Drake Tuesday in Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District.

The result was one-sided, with Ellison garnering more than 69 percent of the vote.

The district includes Minneapolis and some surrounding suburbs. Ellison’s victory marks the congressman’s sixth consecutive term as the representative for the region in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“We are here to connect our neighbors with their power,” Ellison said Tuesday night. “It is more than just winning — everybody counts, and everybody matters.”

Minneapolis resident Martin Decklever, 29, said he voted for Ellison because he wants to keep up Minnesota’s progressive values.

“I’m proud to be from this state, where we have the first Muslim American elected to Congress. I want the rest of the country to see we’re progressive, and we’re proud of Ellison,” he said.

Drake, the Republican loser of the 5th District race, campaigned on a platform of education reform, re-allocation of military spending and “minimizing the role of government in people’s lives.”

Drake had no prior political experience, spending the past 32 years as a realtor in the Twin Cities.

Another candidate who failed to unseat the incumbent was Dennis Schuller, who represented the Legal Marijuana Now Party. He received 8.5 percent of the vote.

Ellison’s history, time in office

Ellison was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan and attended the University of Minnesota Law School. He has lived in the state ever since.

Before taking on the 5th Congressional District seat he now holds, Ellison ran a law practice in Minneapolis and served two terms in the Minnesota House of Representatives between 2003 and 2006.

While in his current term, he was a member of the House Financial Services Committee, Democratic Steering and Policy Committee and the Congressional Black Caucus