U.S. Rep. George Holding, a Raleigh Republican, turned back a Democratic challenger Tuesday to win re-election to a second term in Congress.

Holding, 46, a former U.S. attorney for North Carolina’s Eastern District, had 57 percent of the vote to 43 percent for Brenda Cleary, according to partial election returns. He was first elected in 2012 to represent the 13th District, which covers parts of Wake, Durham and seven other counties.

Cleary, 63, a nurse with a doctorate in geriatrics and the former executive director of the N.C. Center for Nursing, previously lobbied in Washington for retirees as a director of the AARP Public Policy Institute. She campaigned for Medicaid expansion and a path to citizenship for immigrants in the United States illegally.

Holding was an aide to former U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms before becoming a federal prosecutor. He favors tax reform and opposes an increase in the minimum wage.