Daron Lee defeated his opponent Eric Langston in the Warner Robins council runoff for Post 1 at-large.
It came down to the last precinct and 135 votes, but in an emotional moment Daron Lee realized he won. He was immediately hugged by two of his campaign's biggest supporters.
Based on the unofficial results posted to the Warner Robins government website, Lee collected 53% of the votes while Langston took 47%.
Daron Lee was emotional as he celebrated his in win in Council Chambers Tuesday night.
Lee will rejoin the council as the newest member, he called the support from the city humbling.
"I'm excited for them because I know they're excited. I believe it instills a sense of hope, that there's a brighter day ahead, a sense of inclusion of everyone, of all the districts. Where they feel as though they now, they have a connection. There's an opportunity to have a connection with Council," Lee said.
In separate interviews after the results, both candidates wished luck to the other. Langston did not rule out future runs for office. Lee said he knows Langston has a political future.
"Tell my supporters to just hold tight. My future in public service to this community is not over and I ask for their continued support and I ask them just to keep me in their prayers as well," Langston said after the loss.
Lee first served on Warner Robins' City Council from 2010 to 2013. He said his first priorities will be addressing the blight issue, and keeping a closer eye on city departments.
"I do believe that we do need a system of accountability implemented here in the City of Warner Robins where we can look into different departments to see how they're operating and if they're operating at the highest level," Lee said.
Both candidates expressed concern over the low turnout. Only 2,427 of the city's 39,126 registered voters participated in the runoff. That's roughly 4,300 fewer voters than participated in the mayoral election in early November. In that race, Lee and Langston beat out Jim Taylor and Jeffery Walker.