Sonya Halpern will be the next state senator in District 39 — which includes part of southern Buckhead — after handily winning a Dec. 1 runoff election, according to unofficial results.

Sonya Halpern.

Halpern, a self-employed consultant, won 80.85% of the 5,447 votes cast to defeat Linda Pritchett in the special Democratic primary, according to the unofficial count posted on election night by the Georgia Secretary of State’s office. The two candidates were the top vote-getters among four who were on the Nov. 3 ballot.

Halpern replaces Nikema Williams, who left the seat this year to make a successful run for the 5th Congressional District seat.

John Ruch is an Atlanta-based journalist. Previously, he was Managing Editor of Reporter Newspapers.