Trip Pittman gathered 56 percent of the vote Tuesday to defeat State School Board member Randy McKinney in the GOP Senate District 32 runoff election, according to unofficial results.

Pittman, an Eastern Shore businessman, received 9,066 votes, while McKinney garnered 7,111. The Baldwin County Probate Office recorded 16,177 cast ballots with a turnout of about 18 percent of eligible voters.

Pittman will face Democrat A.J. Cooper, an Eastern Shore attorney, in the Oct. 16 general election.

Pittman’s campaign manager Ray Lapierre said Tuesday voters responded to a conservative message and that the race may have been positively affected by Gov. Bob Riley’s endorsement.

“Trip ran against a good candidate who did an excellent job on the school board,” Lapierre said. “Trip also was willing to work hard to do the things you need to do and he had a group of great supporters of family and friends.”

McKinney said Tuesday he was disappointed with the results but offered Pittman his full support.

“We had a good campaign top to bottom,” McKinney said. “I accept full responsibility. I should have gotten to more areas of the county.

“I congratulate Trip and his family and I know he will be a great asset,”

“Trip and I are aligned in how we think government should work and I will support him completely.”

Pittman started Pittman Tractor Co., in 1988 and has served on the Alabama Commission on Higher Education and the Baldwin County Planning and Zoning Commission.

He also served on the Baldwin County United Board of Directors, Bayside Academy Board of Trustees and is a member of the Eastern Shore Sertoma Club.

There are 87,179 registered voters in Senate District 32 which encompasses most of Baldwin County and meets a sliver of Senate District 22 on the Eastern Shore.

Pittman and McKinney received the most votes in the Aug. 7 primary election. The other candidates were Baldwin County Commissioner and former Fairhope Councilman David Ed Bishop, former Baldwin County Commissioner Albert Lipscomb and Don McGriff, Baldwin County Republican Party chairman.