Lentz concedes to Meehan in Pa. 7th

Republican congressional candidate Patrick Meehan defeated his Democratic challenger, State Rep. Bryan Lentz, by a 10 point margin Tuesday night.

Meehan won 55 percent of the vote to Lentz's 44 percent with more than 96 percent of the voting counted.

At a victory celebration held at the Springfield Country Club in Delaware County, Meehan, told a crowd of more than 500 screaming supporters to celebrate tonight, because the hard work lies ahead.

"This is a great victory for us," he said. "But for a lot of people around this region, there is no victory tonight, because they still don't have a job."

Meehan, 55, a former U.S. attorney from Drexel Hill, won the Seventh Congressional district seat back from democrats, who had held it since 2006 when U.S Rep. Joe Sestak was elected. Sestak vacated the seat to run for U.S. Senate this year.

Lentz, a two-term state representative from Swarthmore, conceded shortly after 10:30 p.m.

In his speech at an American Legion hall in Upper Darby, Lentz, thanked his supporters and said Democrats will continue to make strides in Delaware County, where Republicans have long held power.

"Tonight was the end of what was a great campaign, and it was a great campaign because of you," Lentz told his supporters. He added, "The Delco Democratic Party is not going away."

The Seventh Congressional District includes most of Delaware County and parts of Montgomery and Chester counties.

Inquirer staff writers Dan Hardy and Katie Eder contributed to this article.