GOP's Davidson wins Ohio race to succeed Boehner

WEST CHESTER, Ohio (AP) — Republican Warren Davidson is assured of being western Ohio's congressman for the next seven months, and is likely to be serving for years afterward.

Davidson handily won Tuesday's low-turnout special election to succeed former House Speaker John Boehner in the 8th House District. Speaker Paul Ryan is preparing to swear him in later this week in Washington; details were pending today.

"Welcome, Warren, we look forward to working with you to get our country back on track," Ryan said in his message to Davidson, whose district includes Ryan's alma mater, Miami University.

Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted said just below 6 percent of the district's 471,273 registered voters cast ballots, and Butler County elections director Diane Noonan said she was surprised at the low turnout given the importance of winning a seat in Congress.

No other races or issues were on Tuesday's ballot, and voter awareness of the special election appeared to be low after a high-profile GOP primary, when Davidson won dual races for the special election and general election nominations.

Davidson will complete Boehner's term and be an odds-on favorite to win the general election for a full term in the next Congress. Ohio's districts are incumbent-friendly.