Republican John Lastinger won the special election for House seat 88, Tuesday. Unofficial results show Lastinger with 1,672 votes and Democrat challenger Chuck Hightower with 1010 votes.

Lastinger, a pastor, won the GOP primary on Nov. 4. Hightower, an Army Veteran, had no primary challenger.

Lastinger will fill the seat left vacant by former Representative RJ May. Lastinger will serve the remainder of May’s term until the end of 2026. The seat will be up for reelection in November.

House District 88 covers the southern part of the Town of Lexington and includes the Red Bank and South Congaree-West Columbia areas.