By Associated Press
Fairhope AL – Republican Lee "Trip" Pittman easily defeated Democrat A.J. Cooper on Tuesday to win the special election for state Senate District 32 in Baldwin County.
With 40 of 41 precincts reporting, Pittman had 12,741 votes, or 86 percent, and Cooper tallied 1,947 votes, or 13 percent, according to the Web site of the Baldwin County Probate Office.
Pittman, a tractor dealer from Daphne, was making his first race for public office. He will replace Bradley Byrne, who resigned May 24 to become the state's two-year college chancellor.
Cooper is a Fairhope attorney who previously served as mayor of Prichard. Despite his political experience, Cooper went into the race as the underdog because Baldwin County is heavily Republican.