Brown, McNeel advance to runoff in Georgia Senate District 18

No candidate topped 50 percent in the six-county special election Tuesday night.

LeMario Nicholas Brown and Steven McNeel are heading to a runoff in the special election for Georgia State Senate District 18, according to unofficial results posted Tuesday night by the Georgia Secretary of State.

With all precincts reporting across the six-county district, Brown, a Democrat, finished with 36.93 percent of the vote, while McNeel, a Republican, placed second with 21.29 percent. Because no candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote, a runoff election is required.

Republican Eric S. Wilson finished close behind with 20.25 percent, followed by Lauren Daniel with 18.83 percent. Republicans Nathan Warnock and Eugene Allison rounded out the field.

District 18 includes Crawford, Monroe, Peach and Upson counties, along with portions of Bibb and Houston counties.

The seat became vacant after former Senator John Kennedy resigned while running for lieutenant governor.

The runoff is set for February 17, as previously announced by the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office.

LOCAL TOTALS

FT.  VALLEY  DEMOCRAT LEMARIO   BROWN  WON  THE  VOTE  IN  UPSON  COUNTY  IN TUESDAY'S  SPECIAL  ELECTION  FOR  DISTRICT  18  STATE  SENATE--HELD  BY JOHN  KENNEDY  BEFORE  HE  RESIGNED  TO RUN  FOR  LT.  GOVERNOR.

BROWN , A   BUSINESSMAN  AND  FORMER  CITY  COUNCILMAN     AND  THE  ONLY  DEMOCRAT IN  THE  RACE-- POLLED  677  VOTES  IN  UPSON  COUNTY  TO  EDGE  EX-STATE  LEGISLATOR    LAUREN  DANIEL  WITH    654  VOTES. MACON  ATTORNEY  STEVEN  MCNEEL  WAS NEXT  WITH  515  VOTES,  THEN  EX-FORSYTH  MAYOR  ERIC  WILSON  WITH   337 .  THOMASTON'S EUGENE ALLISON  GOT  60  VOTES  AND NATHAN WARNOCK  RECEIVED 31  VOTES. 

THERE  WAS  AN   11% TURNOUT  WITH  2274  TOTAL  VOTES  CAST  IN  UPSON  CO.