By MEG KINNARD
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - Republicans have retained control of Mick Mulvaney's U.S. House seat, with Ralph Norman winning a special election victory in South Carolina that was closer than expected.
The GOP had strong hopes it would hold onto South Carolina's 5th Congressional District. President Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton there by more than 18 percentage points. Mulvaney rode a tea party wave to victory in the 5th District in 2010, defeating a three-decade Democratic incumbent.
Norman, a former state lawmaker who aligns himself with Trump, says support from the president resonated positively with voters. Trump recorded a robocall in support of Norman's campaign and sent out Twitter messages encouraging voters to back him.