Wes Kitchens won a north Alabama Senate seat in Tuesday’s special election after besting two candidates.

Kitchens, a Republican Alabama House member representing Arab, secured more than 52 percent of the vote in the Senate District 9 race, with Rep. Brock Colvin, R-Albertville at 38 percent and former Morgan County Commissioner Stacy George, a Republican at 9 percent, according to unofficial results from the Alabama secretary of state’s office.

No Democrats qualified for the race.

The district encompasses Marshall County and parts of Madison County to the north and Blount County to the south.

Kitchens succeeds Clay Scofield, who represented the area and was Senate majority leader before announcing in October he was stepping down to take over as executive vice president of the Business Council of Alabama.

Candidates running for Senate District 9 emphasized education and workforce development, along with infrastructure and economic growth within the district. Colvin expressed his belief that funding should follow the student, and he said the state Department of Education should not have regulatory control over homeschooling or private schools. Kitchens suggested that pre-K attendance should not be mandatory. George, if elected, said he would give children the ability to pray before football games, followed by a proposal for a prayer at the beginning of each school day.

The Senate District 9 race was one of two special elections held in the state on Tuesday.

In the Alabama House District 16 race, Republican Bryan Binmark dominated Democrat John Underwood, 83 percent to 17 percent, according to the secretary of state’s unofficial tally.

The district extends from Fayette County to north Tuscaloosa and western Jefferson counties.

Binmark succeeds Kyle South, who resigned in June to become the CEO of the West Alabama Chamber of Commerce.

In House District 16, Brinyark and Underwood both said prioritizing education and support for hospitals, though they differ in their approaches. Brinyark suggested engaging in discussions with the healthcare system but did not endorse Medicaid expansion. In contrast, Underwood supported expansion and proposed collaborating with Republicans for a long-term funding approach. Brinyark supported parents choosing schools beyond their zoning, citing educational disparities in Alabama, while Underwood stressed the need for more special education support. Both candidates emphasized the significance of prioritizing infrastructure enhancements, especially in roads, for the district.

Alabama Reflector contributed to this report.