With the majority of precincts reporting for the District 1 Senate race, Republican Tim Melson of Florence emerged as the clear winner, defeating Democratic candidate Caroline Self.

In Limestone County, Melson defeated Self with 12,659 votes with 73.12 percent of the votes cast, to Self’s 4,647 votes, or 26.84 percent, according to the final but unofficial tally on the Vote Limestone website.

At press time, Republican Tom Butler was declared the winner over newcomer Amy Wasyluka for the District 2 Senate seat with 62 percent of precincts reporting.

Melson, a retied anesthesiologist, has held the District 1 Senate seat since 2014. District 1 encompasses parts of Limestone, Lauderdale and Madison counties.

Born and raised in Alabama, Melson ran on a platform focused on economic development, repairing the state budget and education. He has also championed expanding broadband internet access in rural areas, a cause near and dear to many Limestone County residents who do not have access to reliable internet.

Melson told The News Courier Tuesday he would look at providing tax credits or incentives to internet companies so they would be more likely to invest in rural communities such as the Clements and West Limestone areas.

He has the support of the Alabama Retired State Employees’ Association, the state’ largest education organization, and has said he believes in investing more money in Alabama’s classrooms. Hands-on training for students to prepare them for high-paying skilled trades also remains a priority for Melson.

“There is no better time to encourage work-force development and dual-enrollment credits in the schools, especially with the Toyota-Mazda plant and all of its spin-off companies coming to Alabama,” he said.

Having served in the Senate for four years, Melson said he has established himself as a staunch conservative making good on promises to keep taxes low, while boosting economic development by recruiting new jobs to Alabama.

Melson said he believes he led in the polls because things are looking up in this area.

“The economy is stronger than ever, we have jobs coming into the (Tennessee) Valley, so why make changes?” he asked.

When Melson returns to Montgomery, he said he will look to serve on several committees, including the Education Trust Fund, General Fund, Health Care and Agriculture, areas he believes are important to his constituents.

District 2

In the District 2 Senate race, Butler beat Wasyluka in Limestone County with 7,647 votes, or 71.90 percent, to Wasyluka’s 2,979 votes, or 28.01 percent.

Butler, a pharmacist by trade, is no stranger to the people of Limestone County. He has served in both the House of Representatives, representing Limestone and Madison counties, and in the state Senate, representing Limestone, Madison and Morgan counties.

“I have represented Limestone County before,” Butler said. “The people out there know me, and I know them, and I know what their problems are, and I am ready to go to work for them again. I think that had a big impact on the numbers,” he said. “I made sure they were treated fairly in the whole district and made sure they were involved in the bigger community.”

During the primaries, Butler said the biggest challenges facing the state Legislature are budgets, road funding and education. With 28 years of dealing with state budgets, Butler said he planned on using the president’s infrastructure bill to help fund Alabama’s infrastructure and he would like to continue to be an influential force in Montgomery by pushing for economic development and more school-based career tech centers.

“We want to keep our graduates in this area by making sure our kids have the skills to fill the jobs that are coming into our state,” he said.