Chants of “Doyle, Doyle, Doyle,” rang through the Bowmanstown Volunteer Fire Company on Tuesday night, but the man poised for a fourth term representing the 122nd district in the state House of Representatives said he was nothing but humbled at the support he received in Carbon County.

Republican Doyle Heffley defeated Democrat Neil Makhija by a 15,933-10,338 vote, with Libertarian Matt Schutter receiving 498 votes.Heffley, a Lower Towamensing Township resident, called this year’s campaign different from his past challenges.“My opponent chose to run a negative campaign and I think the voters saw through that, and we’ll reward them by continuing to work as hard as we can for the residents in this area,” Heffley said.“My hope is that Wednesday all the negativity, not just locally but across the nation on social media, can stop.”Makhija supporters gathered at Bonnie and Clyde Pub and Grill in Lehighton following the closing of polls at 8 p.m.On his Facebook page, Makhija thanked his supporters.“Carbon County has long been a bellwether of national politics, and the Republican ticket beat Democrats more than 2 to 1,” Makhija wrote.“For what it’s worth, our campaign was absolutely outstanding however. We outperformed the national ticket by 10 percent. Our grassroots work helped us move far beyond the partisan divide. I’m concerned about how the country will move forward, but I know how we will get there and the work it will take.”Wednesday morning, Makhija said, “There is no such thing as a loss, I’m 30 and the people of Carbon County have made this the best year of my life. I made amazing friendships and I’m so proud of my supporters and the 10,000-plus votes we received.”Meanwhile, Heffley said he put all of his heart into this election and worked to put forth nothing but facts while making his pitch to voters.With another term in hand, the focus will turn to the issues and a few spring to the forefront for Heffley.“Obviously property tax elimination is a big thing, but the opioid issue has really advanced to the forefront and I think it will continue to be that way,” he said. “There was some misrepresentation about the initiatives we tried to move forward this past year, but we’ll continue to stand up to special interest groups and do whatever it takes to help end this cycle of addiction.”With the joy and jubilation that comes with a successful re-election bid, there is also a sigh of relief.Heffley expressed just that late Tuesday.“It’s been a trying time for my family and I give them all the credit in the world for handling it so well,” he said. “I’m really excited at the level of support we received at the polls. It far exceeded my expectations.”