Addison McDowell will be the next member of the U.S. House of Representatives after a resounding victory over Constitution Party-member Kevin Hayes.

McDowell, a Republican, was relatively unknown in North Carolina politics before deciding to run for the District 6 seat in the house, a decision which he attributed to his younger brother Luke’s death from a fentanyl overdose. He won the Republican primary, the main hurdle in the District 6 election, due in part to an endorsement from President-elect Donald Trump.

“I am honored the voters of the 6th District have selected me to serve as their next Congressman. This district is my home and it’s been so great to see old friends and family on the campaign trail; all the good folks who have invested in me over the years. Now I’m raising my children in this district. I’m going to Congress to fight for them and to fight for you,” said McDowell in a statement on his victory.

The Democratic party did not have a nominee in the election, as incumbent Kathy Manning announced that she would not be running for reelection. Manning pointed to the state redistricting as the main reason, saying in a release from her office that she viewed her district as “flagrantly gerrymandered.”

McDowell, a Davidson County native, focused on securing the Southern border of the nation as one of his main issues, in addition to supporting Trump’s economic policies, vowing to vote “100 percent pro-life” on abortion issues and 2nd Amendment rights.

“I owe a big thank you to President Donald J. Trump. He believed in me because he knows securing our southern border is very important to me. We lost my little brother Luke to fentanyl likely smuggled across the Southern border and I want to shut down that pipeline so other families don’t suffer a similar tragedy,” said McDowell in the statement.

Election results are unofficial tallies until confirmed by the board of elections.