DENVER — One bright spot for Democrats on election night: Liberal stalwart Raul Grijalva held onto his congressional seat representing southern Arizona.

Grijalva, a four-term representative who had easily won re-election in the past, got into trouble after urging a boycott of his state once it enacted a tough immigration law in April.

Grijalva said the law would promote racial profiling. But his advocacy has made him a target.

After portions of the law were suspended by a federal court judge, he reversed course. But Republican Ruth McClung, a 28-year-old political novice and engineer at a defense contractor, pulled to within striking distance.

With 99.6 percent of precincts reporting, Grijalva held a lead of 48 percent to 46 percent over McClung on Wednesday morning.

On Monday the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals appeared inclined to agree with the federal judge’s July ruling, which said the controversial law, SB 1070, usurped the federal government’s sole authority to regulate immigration.

The three-judge panel, however, suggested during a hearing in San Francisco that the state may be permitted to require police to investigate the immigration status of suspected criminals.