Meadows served on the East Lansing City Council from 1995 to 2006 and was mayor for nine of his years on the council. He was elected to the state House of Representatives in 2006 and sought re-election this year with his two-year term set to expire.

“It feels good,” Meadows said of his victory over Lambert, a General Motors Corp. assembly line worker making his first bid for public office. “I think people know that they are being served well down in the legislature.”

Meadows celebrated the victory with more than 100 supporters at Reno’s East Side Sportsbar & Grill, 1310 Abbot Road, as TVs tracking local, state and national races drew cheers for fellow Democratic candidates. Inside a dimly lit banquet room, Meadows raised a toast to those who aided in his campaign and acknowledged the victory of newly elected president Barack Obama, a fellow Democrat.

Lambert spent his final hours of his campaign going door to door in East Lansing Tuesday afternoon, leaving fliers on doors.

“I don’t let things get to me anyways,” Lambert said, of his apparent defeat Tuesday night.

Many of the individuals who worked on Lambert’s campaign spent as many as 14 hours each day within the past month and opted to watch the election from home.

Lambert said it was a well-deserved rest.

“We’ve been really working to get my name out there,” Lambert said.

Win or lose, Lambert said he could potentially see himself running again for office.

“I don’t know, that’s two years from now,” Lambert said. “I’m probably going to run sooner or later, just don’t know when.”

Okemos resident Jim Kocher, 70, who attended Meadows’ victory party, said the communication between Meadows and members of the district partially drew him to the victorious House candidate.

“He keeps us informed by his newsletters and his Web site, which I like,” said Kocher, who campaigned door-to-door with Meadows in previous months. “When I want to have contact with him, he’s been more than accessible. He knows who I am.”

Meadows said he will work to reintroduce bills focusing on economic and personal protection issues that expire at the end of the year.

He also said he will continue on making tuition at universities such as MSU affordable by pushing for additional higher education funding from the state government.

By increasing college and university funding, more highly-educated graduates would likely stay in Michigan and attract businesses that would help dig the state out of its economic doldrums.