With 81% of precincts reporting, Democratic challenger and animal protection leader Gary Peters has a commanding lead over Republican incumbent Joe Knollenberg, by 51% to 43%. Knollenberg has one of the worst records on animal cruelty in the entire Congress, and was the Humane Society Legislative Fund's top target for defeat in the 2008 election.

Animal advocates have been tirelessly canvassing door-to-door in Michigan's 9th Congressional District, and HSLF spent more than $400,000 on TV ads in the Detroit area, letting voters know about Knollenberg's long and embarrassing record on animal cruelty. On the eve of the election, Knollenberg even tried to proclaim himself an animal lover, but he couldn't hide from his average score of 12% over his 16 years in Congress. He had sided with animal abusers 88% of the time, on issues such as horse slaughter, downed animals, polar bear trophy hunting, and animal fighting.

Gary Peters was a champion for animals when he served in the Michigan Senate, and he often spoke out and fought for animal protection bills on the Senate floor. He was a leader in the effort to keep mourning doves protected in Michigan and defeat the attempts to authorize target shooting of these gentle and inoffensive songbirds.

Peters is exactly the kind of lawmaker we want to bring to Washington, and Knollenberg is exactly the kind we want to send home. Congratulations to Gary Peters on running a great campaign and emerging as the victor, and congratulations to all the Michigan animal advocates who talked to voters about Knollenberg's record and played a very meaningful role in this outcome.