ROANOKE, Va. – Republican Joe McNamara has been named the projected winner of the 8th District seat to replace Republican Greg Habeeb in a special election.
McNamara -- a longtime Roanoke County supervisor -- ran as a small government conservative, and his victory has secured a one-delegate advantage in the House for Republicans. Â
The new delegate in the House of Delegates' 8th District, just a year after voters re-elected their Republican incumbent.
Voters in the Roanoke and Montgomery County areas elected to keep the seat red during today's special election.
Joe McNamara brought in 61 percent of the vote and will take over the seat from Greg Habeeb.
Habeeb stepped down in august to spend more time with his family.
Democratic challenger Carter Turner had an uphill battle, trying to turn a seat blue that's been Habeeb's since 2012.
McNamara spoke to a packed crowd of supporters on Tuesday night.
The delegate-elect says he was pleased with the overall campaign process.Â
He says he was able hear what was most important to voters in the eighth district.Â
"I'm going to try to really understand the budget the best I can and try to make sure that we fund the most important things for our area and that may include tax rebates for the people that are paying taxes," said McNamara.Â
McNamara also highlighted his message on strong schools, solid economic development and good transportation systems.