Republicans head to March runoff in Georgia Senate race

Two Republicans are headed to a runoff election next month for a south Georgia state Senate seat, after no candidate won a majority of votes Tuesday.

Unofficial results from the Georgia secretary of state’s office show Republican Carden Summers finishing with just over 43% of the nearly 12,000 votes cast. Jim Quinn, another Republican, trailed close behind with 42% of votes.

Democrat Mary Egler finished last with 15% of votes and won’t advance to the runoff March 3.

They’re seeking to replace Greg Kirk, who was elected to represent state Senate District 13 in 2014 and served until his death late last year. The district covers Crisp, Dodge, Dooly, Lee, Tift, Turner and Worth counties, as well as parts of Sumter and Wilcox counties.

Summers is a businessman and former county commissioner. Quinn is a journalist and former mayor.

The seat will be up for grabs again in a general election in November.