KPTV - FOX 12Bonamici wins special election to replace Wu

Democrat Suzanne Bonamici has won the race to replace David Wu and represent the 1st Congressional District, but will face another election in November.

FOX 12 political analyst Tim Hibbitts called the race moments after the polls closed at 8 p.m. As of Tuesday night, Bonamici retained a 16-point lead over businessman Rob Cornilles.

CHECK: Election results

In her acceptance speech, the former state lawmaker said she's going to stand up to powerful interests in Washington, D.C.

"I will always put people before politics. It's just who I am. In the end, Oregonians know they can count on me to stand up for them," she said.

Bonamici will have to run for re-election in November to retain her seat, but Hibbitts said it will be hard for Republicans to uproot her.

"As of today, she's in pretty good shape for November," he said.

WATCH: Hibbitts weighs in on race's impact

But Bonamici said she's not going to focus on campaigning yet. Instead, she'll be setting up her office and planning town halls.

"My priority now is to be the most effective representative for this district," she said. "I will start that process tomorrow and then be working hard so that voters know I'm there for them."

During the campaign, Cornilles cast himself as a proven job creator. He also stressed his commitment to bipartisanship, while trying to paint Bonamici as a politician who votes along party lines.

"I'm living proof that anybody can run for Congress. But you have to have fantastic staff and volunteers, and I do," he said during his concession speech.

WATCH: Cornilles concedes races | READ: Cornilles' concession speech

Cornilles, who lost to Wu in 2010, said he's going to talk with his family before deciding whether to run against Bonamici again in November.

"I don't know what it would take to try a third time. At some point, you have to accept and respect the will of the voters," he said.

The 1st Congressional District, which stretches from downtown Portland to Washington County to the north Oregon coast, has been held by Democrats for 20 consecutive elections.

Wu had represented the district since 1999, but was forced to step down in August after a spate of erratic behavior.

In fall 2010, Wu's staffers had concerns about his actions during and after that campaign and at least six of them staged an intervention.

By January, those six staffers resigned and the next month, Wu went on a media tour. He explained his actions, including emailing a photo of himself in a tiger costume to a staff member, as "an inappropriate sense of humor."

Wu also said the picture was taken as a joke during Halloween and that he had been under a lot of stress from his job and recent divorce.

He said one instance of erratic behavior was because he took two pills that were not prescribed to him from a campaign donor. Wu acknowledged that was a mistake and said he had never been dependent on pain medication.

In March 2011, FOX 12 learned that Wu had crashed his car into a parked vehicle in the West Hills the previous year. Wu's communications director said the accident was the result of fatigue and extensive travel. Police said he passed a field sobriety test.

In July 2011, Wu was accused of an unwanted sexual encounter with the 18-year-old daughter of a longtime friend and campaign donor.

Wu said it was consensual, but colleagues at home and in Washington, D.C., called for his resignation.

Wu hasn't spoken publicly since then.

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