LEXINGTON, SC (WACH) - Republican Katrina Shealy, a petition candidate, is the projected winner in the South Carolina Senate District 23 race against incumbent Sen. Jake Knotts.

According to the South Carolina Election Commission’s website, un-official results show Shealy with 51.04 percent while Knotts received 43.72 percent.  The website is reporting that Shealy received 16,662 votes with Knotts receiving 14,271 votes.  David Whetsell earned 1,587 votes and write-ins represented 125.

Shealy was among 250 candidates statewide who were removed from the June 12 primaries due to improperly filed paperwork. She had to collect signatures from five percent of the registered voters in District 23 on a petition to get her name back on the November ballot.

Shealy said in August, “When I am elected to the State Senate people will not have to lay awake at night wondering what deal Jake Knotts is cutting or what scheme he is entering into to benefit himself."

Knotts has represented Lexington County as a senator since 2002 and beat Shealy in a primary runoff with 57 percent of the vote in 2008.  Knotts also served in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1994 until his senate election in 2002.

Shealy released the following statement Wednesday:

“Today truly is a great day in South Carolina!

Today, all of you have proven that the people are in charge of our government not the politicians.

Today, we end the backroom deals. Today, we end the wasteful spending. Today, we end the good-ole-boy politics as usual.

We took on the establishment. We challenged the way Columbia works.

Heck, we were outspent 16 to 1... And we won!

I have to first thank my husband, Jimmy, who has stood right next to me and supported our campaign from day one. Not only is he the best husband I could ever ask for, but he is the best teammate I could ever ask for.

Governor Haley, thank you for your great friendship and support. Sen. Greg Gregory, I can’t thank you enough. You took a heck of a chance by endorsing me. You showed true character knowing the potential backlash, and helped me get elected. For this, I will always be grateful and always call you a friend.

I want to especially thank my campaign team - Michael Mule’, Brent Littlefield, and the UPT Strategies team for developing a campaign plan like no one in South Carolina has ever seen. I want to thank Rebecca Shadwell for executing the plan flawlessly… And I want to thank each and every one of you - for your hard work, your countless volunteer hours, and your prayers.

WE DID IT!

To the people of Senate District 23, thank you so much for placing your trust in me. Together we can and we will clean up Columbia and make South Carolina the best place to live, work, and raise our families. God bless you and God bless America!”

Other un-official results can be found HERE.