Rep. John Kline, R-Lakeville, sailed through the primary election Tuesday night to advance to the Nov. 6 election and a bid for his sixth term in office.

With all 291 precincts reporting at 12:15 a.m., Kline handily beat Minneapolis engineer David Gerson 15,859 votes to 2,772, according to the Minnesota Secretary of State website.

Kline will next face former Democratic state Rep. Mike Obermueller for the Second Congressional District seat.

In April, Kline was unanimously endorsed by delegates in the Second District Republican Convention in Shakopee. For years, Kline has been a safe bet during election season, churning out double-digit election wins every cycle. Kline has held the seat since 2002.

But after this year's Congressional redistricting, the new Second District now includes DFL-leaning portions of northern Dakota County, as well as southern Washington County, and doesn't include Republican strongholds such as Carver County.

Obermueller, an Eagan resident, had no primary opponent.