This is an 11:15 p.m. update of a story originally posted at 9:28.



By ANGELA CARBONE

acarbone@repub.com



U.S. Rep. John W. Olver cruised to victory again Tuesday, defeating first-time challenger Nathan A. Bech, a Republican, throughout the 1st Congressional District that reaches from the Berkshires to Worcester and Middlesex counties.



Olver swept the cities and towns of the district, besting Bech even in his hometown of West Springfield where Olver, of Amherst, received 6,948 votes and Bech 4,907.



Olver spoke to a gathering of supporters at the Hickory Ridge Country Club in Amherst Tuesday night. "I'm honored to be chosen to be the representative from the 1st Congressional District in the 111th Congress. I am also very excited about the prospects for the 111th Congress. If Barack Obama does win the White House, and the numbers so far look good, we have an historic opportunity to take the country in a new direction," Olver said.



ELECTION 2008

Olver went on to praise Obama for connecting with voters, energizing traditional Democratic voting groups, and attracting moderates. "He offered the change that so many Americans were looking for, and he put forth a vision to take our nation down pathways different from the ones we've traveled for last eight years," Olver said. "If Obama is elected, I'm eager to help with the policy changes and legislation needed to implement that vision for change."

Putting the economy back on track, restoring the country's financial markets, and enacting a new stimulus package are all priorities, Olver said. Addressing health care coverage for Americans and environmental and energy concerns are also paramount, he said.

"The time has also come for us to put in place and execute a plan to safely disengage our troops from Iraq and bring our soldiers home. That policy shift is long overdue," he said.

Bech, 34, conceded defeat shortly after 9 p.m. Tuesday. He called Olver to congratulate the incumbent, then spoke to reporters and supporters at his campaign headquarters on Elm Street in West Springfield. "The pendulum swings back and forth," Bech said. This election, the Democrats have won, but the Republicans came back after the 1992 Democratic victory and won back seats in 1994, Bech said. "After two years of Democratic rule, I think the American people will be ready for a change again," he said.

Bech said Olver's superior fund-raising was a deciding factor in the race. "I've learned two things. Campaigns are fun, and campaigns are expensive," he said. "I feel like I've had a great experience."

As proof of Bech being a credible threat to Olver keeping his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, Bech said he noticed that Olver flooded television with political advertising as the race drew on. "I got him nervous," Bech said.

Bech said he is not certain what is next, but he did not rule another run for office. "We'll see," he said.

Olver has held federal office since June 4, 1991, when he narrowly defeated Republican Steven Pierce in a special election called after Silvio Conte died. In the September primary, Olver beat Stockbridge lawyer Robert A. Feuer with 79 percent of the total vote.