Rob Woodall retained his spot as the Republican nominee for the District 7 seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Incumbent Woodall, an attorney, bested challenger David Hancock by more than 5,100 votes in Forsyth and more than 27,000 votes across the district, which also includes a swath of Gwinnett County.

In Forsyth, which is divided in half between congressional Districts 7 and 9, Woodall carried about 65 percent of the vote, while districtwide his total was nearly 72 percent.

Republicans Martha Zoller and Doug Collins are in a runoff for the Republican nomination in District 9.

Woodall advances to face off against Democratic challenger Steve Reilly, who ran unopposed for his party’s nomination.

“I want to thank all the 7th District voters for their support, and give a special thanks to all those who have volunteered and worked on the campaign,” Woodall said. “We could not have done it without their help.

“I would also like to congratulate my opponent, David Hancock, for running a great campaign. I’m grateful for the opportunity to discuss the issues facing our district and our nation.”

Woodall, who was elected to the office for the first time in 2010, garnered more than 11,200 votes in Forsyth and nearly 44,700 in the district.

Hancock, the chief operating officer of Automation Control Products, received nearly 6,100 votes in Forsyth and more than 17,500 votes across the district. He said the race didn’t go the way he had hoped.

But having spent less than $3,000 campaigning, he was pleased with his support.

“Considering that we really spent no money at all, I was very happy with the grassroots involvement that I got from a lot of people and was very encouraged by the people I met,” he said.

“I was just very humbled from the support that I got from a lot of people, so it was a wonderful experience and I wish Rob Woodall all the best.”