"People saw my work ethic," Cleary said. "They saw how hard I plan on working for everybody. I plan on working hard starting tomorrow."

Late results showed Cleary leading by insurmountable numbers.

He will represent portions of Charleston, Georgetown and Horry counties, but will cover much less of the East Cooper area than the 34th district senator has previously.

That comes after a recent Statehouse redistricting in which lawmakers moved the district's center farther north into Horry and Georgetown counties, leaving the new senator only parts of Mount Pleasant and Charleston County to cover.

Cleary and Maring, both of Georgetown, became the only two candidates running for the seat last week when a third Republican, Ricky Horne, dropped out. No Democrats filed for the November ballot.

After learning of his victory, Cleary, a dentist, said Horne's dropping out helped the candidates avoid a runoff election and increased his chances of victory.

He also attributed his success to his stand on infrastructure funding, based on the view that more roads need not be paid for with increased taxes.

Maring, a retired circuit court judge, supported a tax increase.

"Ricky and I have been friends for 25 years," Cleary said. "We were focused on not having somebody with special interests taking that seat."

Throughout his campaign, Cleary contended that Maring would not do an effective job in Columbia because of the strong ties he'd established with lawmakers over the years.

Michael Gartland covers East Cooper. Contact him at 937-5902 or mgartland@postandcourier.com.

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