Republican Congressman Peter King was re-elected on Tuesday to serve the Third Congressional District for a fifth term. The incumbent was challenged by Democratic candidate Dal LaMagna, a businessman from Sea Cliff, and Selma Olchin, who was running on the Liberal party line.

Running on the Conservative and Right To Life party lines, King received approximately 61 percent of the vote in his district. Unofficial numbers from the Nassau County Board of Elections show that King won with 135,328 votes while LaMagna received 90,290 votes. LaMagna was running on the Green and Working Family party lines. Olchin received 1,378 votes, according to the Board of Elections.

During his four consecutive terms in Congress, King said, he has established an independent record which he will continue to follow during his fifth term.

"I put New York and Nassau County first, even if that involves breaking away from my own party on certain issues. I feel that I can work with Democrats on issues that affect Long Island. We have unique issues on Long Island, and they're not Democratic or Republican issues. They are issues that involve people, and we do work together. We are able to put party politics aside," King stated.

During his next two years in Congress, King said he hopes to find an answer to both the HMO and prescription drug issues. He added that prescription drugs should be more affordable, and that people should have the right to sue their HMO if they don't get proper treatment.

King said he is very much looking forward to serving two more years in Congress. "I feel very gratified and very relieved," he stated. King continued to explain that he feels very fortunate to serve in Congress for as long as he has, especially in this time in history.

"I've served during impeachment times, the closest presidential race in history, and a very close congressional race," he said. "I feel this is a great time to be alive and be in politics."