MIAMI -- Incumbent Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Republican, has been declared the winner of Florida's District 18 seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, according to the Associated Press.

Results: U.S. Representative, District 18

The 18th Congressional District runs from Miami Beach through Southwest Miami-Dade and down through the Florida Keys.

Ros-Lehtinen has represented the district since 1989. Taddeo, her challenger, is a South Florida businesswoman who has never held office.

Ros-Lehtinen gave a victory speech at about 9:30 p.m. at J.J.'s American Diner in Coral Gables with about 100 people in attendance.

Each candidate did some last-minute campaigning in South Florida on Tuesday. Ros-Lehtinen and some supporters held signs encouraging people to vote in western Miami on Tuesday afternoon. Taddeo visited a Miami polling precinct, where she spoke to voters.

Ros-Lehtinen told Local 10's Terrell Forney that she knew going into this race that it would be very difficult because of the state of the economy. She said she was not sure if she could pull it off.