Brown, McNeel advance to runoff in Georgia Senate District 18 race

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

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — 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.

In Bibb County, Brown led the field with 36.62 percent of the vote, while McNeel finished second with 32.89 percent. In Houston County, Brown carried nearly half the vote with 49.08 percent. Peach County also strongly favored Brown, who received more than 54 percent there.

Wilson led the vote in Crawford and Monroe counties. Daniel posted strong showings in Monroe and Upson counties but did not advance.

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.