Jim Butterworth says he’s looking forward to working for the people of the 50th District.

Butterworth won over incumbent state Sen. Nancy Schaefer by a 62 percent to 37 percent margin in a runoff election Tuesday.

With 96 percent of the votes counted, Butterworth received 6,175 votes to Schaefer’s 3,734.

“I would be remiss if I didn’t say thank you to the team and to those who put this campaign together,” Butterworth said Wednesday. “It was a districtwide team, and they helped get our message out, and it’s a good message.”

Both Schaefer and Butterworth are Republicans. No Democrats qualified to run for the 50th District seat, so Butterworth has won the seat unless a write-in candidate has a successful campaign for the November election.

The 50th state Senate District is made up eight counties in northeast Georgia: Hart, Franklin, Stephens, Banks, Habersham, Rabun, Towns and Union.

Of the eight, Schaefer only took Stephens and Towns counties in the runoff.

Schaefer said in March that she would not run for re-election to her senate seat to run for the 10th Congressional District for Georgia against Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Paul Broun.

Then in April, Schaefer withdrew her candidacy when her husband became ill.

Schaefer later announced her intention to run for re-election to the state Senate.

Both Butterworth and Schaefer are from Habersham County, where Butterworth serves as chairman of the County Board of Commissioners, and where he received the most votes in the runoff.

Schaefer could not be reached for comment Tuesday night or Wednesday.

Butterworth said it’s time to unite the Republican Party and look to the future.

“It’s time to move on, whether you were working for us or against us,” he said. “Everyone was justified in their means, and I don’t fault anyone whatsoever. I want to have them on our team as we begin to build that team to make a difference.”

Butterworth said he has three areas on which he plans to focus.

“The things I’ve talked about a lot are our water issues, which I’ve already been working on quite a bit with the Habersham County Commission,” he said.

As commission chairman, Butterworth got the ball rolling on a comprehensive water management plan.

He also instituted a plan to turn an abandoned lake into a new water reservoir and brokered a deal with the city of Toccoa to buy up to 3 million gallons of water a day to serve the eastern half of Habersham County over the next 30 years.

Tax reform and education are two other areas Butterworth said he believes are critical issues for the 50th District.

“Those three things are issues we have to continue addressing. As I learn the ropes I’m, looking forward to making a difference for all of us,” Butterworth said.