ROUND ROCK, Texas — Rep. John Carter, R-Texas, has won his ninth term in the U.S. House.

Carter has held the seat since 2002. He beat his Democratic challenger, MJ Hegar, by 3.1 percent.

U.S. House District 31 is a historically Republican district that covers all of Williamson County and parts of Bell County. Carter is known by the nickname “Judge” to some and served on the district court bench for 20 years.

Carter was born and raised in Houston. He attended Texas Tech University where he graduated with a degree in history and then graduated from the University of Texas Law School in 1969.

Carter won his last election by more than 21 points.