Photo submitted U.S. Fifth District Rep. Mick Mulvaney won a second term in Tuesday's general election. The election was the first in which Union County was part of the Fifth Congressional District.

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UNION — U.S. Fifth Congressional District Mick Mulvaney will have more opportunities to travel to Union County during the next two years.

Population growth in South Carolina enabled the state to gain a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, increasing its delegation from six to seven members. The state’s U.S. House district lines were redrawn this year to accommodate this growth and create a seventh congressional district.

At the beginning of the redistricting process, Union County was part of the Fourth Congressional District which also included Greenville and Spartanburg counties and part of Laurens County. The redrawing of the district lines shifted Union County into the Fifth Congressional District composed of all or part of 10 counties including all of York, Lancaster, Union, Fairfield, Lee and Kershaw counties, part of Spartanburg County, half of Newberry County, and the majority of Sumter County.

During this time, the Fifth Congressional District was represented by Mulvaney, a Lancaster resident who was elected to the seat in 2010.

Since Union County became part of the Fifth Congressional District, Mulvaney has made three trips to Union County. During his first visit in September, Mulvaney toured the ESAB and Gestamp manufacturing facilities and Union County High School. His second visit later that month was to host a town hall meeting at the Clemson Extension/4H Office. In October, Mulvaney toured the USC Union campus and the Union County Arts Council. He said purpose of his trips to Union County was to get to know the community and introduce himself to his constituents.

Mulvaney will have more opportunities to get to know Union County after winning a second term in Tuesday’s general election.

Unofficial results show Mulvaney, a Republican, winning reelection with 152,764 votes to 121,861 votes for Democrat and Working Families candidate Joyce Knott.

In Union County, Mulvaney received 6,078 votes to 5,822 for Knott. Knott’s total included 5,219 votes she received as a Democrat and 603 she received as the candidate of the Working Families Party.

Mulvaney carried 15 precincts while Knott carried nine.

Editor Charles Warner can be reached at 864-427-1234, ext. 14, or by email at cwarner@heartlandpublications.com.