One of the hottest races in Morgan County has been won by the incumbent.
The Morgan County State’s Attorney race has been the talk of the county for the past few months, as Democrat Tyson Manker mounted a campaign against Republican Gray Noll.
Almost 2,000 people tuned into a debate between the two on 1180 WLDS and our WLDS Facebook Live feed on Friday.
On Tuesday voters made their voice heard by electing Noll, who took home 8,552 votes, compared to Manker’s 5,896.
WLDS-WEAI spoke with Noll moments after he received word of his victory.
“I’m incredibly grateful. My wife and I moved over here in March from Springfield. My son was born in June and the county has welcomed us with open arms. The community has been great and very supportive of us. We walked a lot of precincts the past two months and everyone has been very kind here,” says Noll.
Noll says his experience gave him an advantage in the race.
“I’ve been a prosecutor for the last 14 years. As a prosecutor, every day you have to go in and do your best in court. Everyday I go to court and the judge says ‘present for the people of Morgan County.’ I think that gives a prosecutor an inspiration on a daily basis to do their best,” says Noll. .
Noll’s election is a four-year-term.