Another election, another landslide win for U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts.

Democrats did not come close on Tuesday to budging the six-term Kennett Square Republican.

The dour economy and voters' disapproval of President George W. Bush did not help three challengers — Democrat Bruce Slater, Independent John Murphy and the Constitution Party's Dan Frank — cut into the comfortable advantage Pitts has enjoyed at county polls for years.

Pitts captured 59 percent of the vote here in 2006 and matched that showing this time around.

"Fortunately, we bucked the tide," he said. "The message we had of trying to stimulate the economy and make Pennsylvania friendly to businesses resonated with voters."

In Lancaster County, he garnered 130,256 votes Tuesday. Slater got 78,342, or 36 percent. Murphy got 3 percent, and Frank 1 percent.

The 16th District includes all of Lancaster County, southern Chester County including West Chester, and a portion of southwest Berks County, including Reading.

Unofficially, Pitts got 56 percent — 167,203 votes — in Chester County and 29 percent — 5,892 votes — in Berks County.

Altogether, he got 56 percent of the votes in the district to Slater's 38 percent.

Pitts, a former school teacher, said the election should have taught the GOP a lesson.

"We need to do a better job reaching out to minority voters," he said.

Pitts congratulated Barack Obama on winning the presidency.

"This is a historic moment in our life as a nation," Pitts said. "There's something great about America, to see an African American elected to the highest office of the land. I look forward to working with him."

How will the increase in the number of Democrats in the House affect Pitts and others on his side of the aisle?

"We'll work as much as we can in a bipartisan manner on major problems," Pitts said. "We really have to. I don't think they can do it in a partisan manner."

He said there is still a "safeguard in the Senate to block bad legislation" since Democrats did not secure 60 Senate seats — the number needed to prevent Republicans from blocking bills and judicial nominees.

Pitts said he wants to continue work as a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

He "very strongly" wants the U.S. to increase domestic oil production.

"We are sending hundreds of billions of dollars overseas," he said. "We could create hundreds of thousands of good jobs here."

Pitts also co-authored the Small Business CHOICE Act this year, which he said would allow small businesses to offer health insurance to employees through a 65-percent refundable tax credit.

Pitts has always done well in the county, since winning his U.S. House seat with 61 percent of the votes here in 1996.

County voters gave him 68 percent of their votes in 2004.