In what initially appeared to be a tight race for the 8th District State Senate seat, the second half of precinct votes allowed Republican Matt Castlen to surge past Democratic candidate Bob Glenn for the win.
Castlen, who currently serves as House representative for the 14th District, defeated Glenn and secured 20,650 votes for a 58.2 percent majority over Glenn’s 14,808 votes, at 41.8 percent.
“I feel good — it’s exciting,” Castlen said of his win. “I look forward to working hard as state senator.”
For Castlen, hard work is a priority, as he will continue to help out with his family’s farm and operate his business, Castlen Steel, while he simultaneously works as state senator.
“I’ll continue working hard and representing my Christian values,” Castlen said.
With election season finally at a close and the results finally having been tallied, Castlen said he does plan to take “a few days” to rest before getting right back to work.
As for stress over the election, Castlen said he wasn’t too worried about the numbers because he said he’d put the election in God’s hands, knowing that whatever was meant to happen, would happen. However, he still seemed surprised by the final vote count at the end of a long, oftentimes tense, campaign against Glenn.
“I’m still kind of in shock,” Castlen said of his win.
For the near future, Castlen said he will continue his pro-business efforts in leading District 8 to a successful next two years.
