Rep. Steve King was reelected to a ninth term in Iowa’s fourth U.S. congressional district on Tuesday, overcoming Democrat J.D. Scholten’s challenge and some criticism from within his own party.

King, 69, of Kiron, was first elected to congress in 2002. He had only faced one serious challenge for his seat prior to this year, against former Iowa first lady Christie Vilsack in 2012.

He is a staunch conservative, known for emphatic anti-illegal immigration views and support for traditional Republican values like tax cuts, reducing regulation on business, repeal of the Affordable Care Act, and a strong pro-life stance.

King was outraised by Scholten by a two-to-one margin through the end of September, and did not run any television ads until very late in the campaign. Public opinion surveys showed a tighter race than he had traditionally faced, leading to concern that King could lose his reelection bid.

The fourth district began to get national media coverage after the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting in late October, when some began to highlight King’s history of controversial statements similar to those of white nationalists. Some members of the Republican establishment, including National Republican Congressional Committee chairman Steve Stivers, repudiated King in the latter days of the campaign.

Leading Iowa GOP figures, including Sen. Chuck Grassley and Gov. Kim Reynolds, stood by King.

He will begin his ninth term in January 2019.