The Des Moines Register

The residents of House District 82 chose Phil Miller to be its new state representative during a special election Tuesday.

Miller, a Democrat, received 4,020 votes, according to unofficial results from the Iowa Secretary of State's office. Miller defeated his Republican opponent, Travis Harris, who received 3,324 votes.

The state office expects the results to be certified later this week.

The newly elected Miller is a Fairfield veterinarian and is also on the school board.

Joshua N. Miller of the Libertarian Party and Edward T. Hee III of the Constitution Party of Iowa also ran for the seat. Miller received 71 votes, and Hee received 58.

House District 82 covers parts of Davis, Van Buren and Jefferson counties. It's politically balanced, with 6,257 registered Democrats, 6,611 registered Republicans and 5,738 registered voters with no party affiliation.

The special election leaves the makeup of the Iowa House at 59 Republicans and 41 Democrats.

The seat was left open after Democratic Rep. Curt Hanson died in June 2017. He was 73 and had served in the Iowa House since 2009.