A special election for the 9th District in the Alabama Senate to fill former Senate Majority Leader Clay Schofield's seat in the Alabama Senate was decided Tuesday night without a runoff.

Of the three candidates, including two incumbent members of Congress, Rep. Wes Kitchens (R-Arab) won with 51.7% of the unofficial total votes cast.

Although the weather was cold and rainy on Election Day, both candidates said they stuck to their messages to voters and were confident in their ability to represent the region where they grew up.

“We feel like we've knocked on more than 6,000 doors and talked to voters about the issues they really care about.” the kitchen spoke yellow hammer news Tuesday. “Whether you live in Blount, Madison or Marshall County, you want a safe community to raise your family, a quality education for your children, and job opportunities.

Related: Rep. Kitchens will take Schofield's seat in the state Senate.

“I have a track record in Congress of supporting schools, championing family values, and being a true conservative. I think that's what the people of Senate District 9 are looking for.”

Voters agreed.

Kitchens, who is in his second term in the Alabama House of Representatives representing Marshall County, reported a cash balance of $104,142 in his campaign fund for the first week of January. The balance as of Monday was $24,989.98.

Despite the attacks over the yes vote; Gas tax increase in 2019 and receive money from liberal political group Kitchens' campaigns, including the Alabama Education Association, have proven to be clearly effective, both in terms of targeted efforts and grassroots efforts.

Related: Colvin doubles first-month fundraising lead on Senate special, Kitchens' war chest increases

“At the end of the day, this district is my home. It's where I live, work, and plan to raise my family. I'm running for this position because I want to represent my neighbors in Montgomery. I think they know they can trust me to do the right thing,” Kitchens said. Yellow Hammer News.

Both candidates are up for a chance to replace the incredibly powerful former state senator and majority leader from the House seats they currently occupy: Mr. Kitchens, who is of Arab descent, and Mr. Colvin, who is from Albertville. He talked about how he has expanded his horizons in the constituency. #alpolitics

— Grayson Everett (@Grayson270) January 10, 2024

Rep. Brock Colvin (R-Albertville), Kitchens' House colleague for one year of his four-year term, also said he was proud of his campaign.

“We purposefully organized a strong grassroots campaign. In the end, we were able to knock off 7,000 doors in eight weeks. Eighty-five percent of the funds we raised were distributed in this district. I think it was from people who work or live there,” Colvin said. yellow hammer news Tuesday before voting closes.

“And I pride myself on the fact that I like to get the community invested.”

Colvin thanked his campaign team, friends and supporters in a post Tuesday night.

Kitchens is the presumptive winner of the 9th District Senate seat, as there is no qualified Democratic challenger in the general election and a primary runoff was avoided.

Asked what he would do if he won outright on Tuesday, Kitchens said: yellow hammer news He will “immediately begin developing a plan to ensure that the 9th Senate District is fully represented in the next Congress.”

“We're going to sit down with leaders in all three counties and look at what the local priorities are,” he said.

Grayson Everett is the state and politics editor for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @Grayson270