Free Republic

U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner (R-Ballwin) survived the closest race of her congressional career, holding off Democrat Cort VanOstran in a year that saw key House districts across the country flip from red to blue. VanOstran, a 30-year-old Clayton lawyer with a Harvard degree, ran an energetic shoe-leather campaign, betting that a healthcare platform would persuade voters in a traditionally Republican stronghold to consider an earnest Democrat.