DALTON, Ga. — Chuck Payne and Debby Peppers are headed to a Jan. 10, 2017, runoff in the race for Georgia state Senate District 54.

Payne, a former chairman of the Whitfield County Republican Party, received the most votes in Tuesday’s special election with 1,792 (36.1 percent), according to unofficlal results on the Georgia Secretary of State’s website.

Peppers, a former member of the Whitfield County Board of Commissioners, received the second most votes with 1,361 (27.42 percent).

Since no one in the five-person race got a majority of the vote, the top two finishers must meet in a runoff to decide the winner.

The 54th District is comprised of Whitfield and Murray counties and parts of Gordon and Pickens counties.

Payne finished first in Whitfield, Murray and Gordon counties and second in Pickens.

“I’ve been involved in northwest Georgia politics and the Republican Party for 25 years, and I have friends and contacts in all four counties, and many of them turned out to help me,” he said. “I think people are comfortable with someone who has been around for years and has a track record and they know will do what he says he will do.”

Peppers also showed strength across the district, finishing second in Whitfield, Murray and Gordon counties and third in Pickens.

“I’ve got a lot of good supporters, and they worked really hard,” she said. “I think my strength in Whitfield comes from people really knowing me. I knew all along one thing I would struggle with is meeting and getting to know people in the other counties, and that’s still going to be something I have to work on. I’ve had businesses in Murray and Gordon, but I wasn’t out and as involved in the community as I have been in Whitfield.”

Both candidates said they believe that with the race now down to two they will have a chance to get more into the issues and how they differ from one another. The Daily Citizen and the League of Women Voters of the Dalton Area plan a candidates forum for the runoff on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at Dalton City Hall.

Contractor Billy Vinyard finished third with 856 votes (17.24 percent); financial representative Shell Underwood took fourth place with 536 votes (10.8 percent); and private researcher Conda Goodson finished fifth with 419 votes (8.44 percent). Goodson finished in first in Pickens County.

“Obviously, it’s disappointing,” said Underwood. “But I feel like I ran a clean campaign. I ran a financially sound campaign, and I got to meet some really amazing people in Whitfield and Murray counties as well as Gordon and Pickens. I will support the Republican candidate.”

Vinyard said he is proud of the campaign.

“We all ran a clean, respectful campaign, and I’d like to thank all of the other candidates for that. I really enjoyed this experience,” he said.

The special election was held because Gov. Nathan Deal appointed Charlie Bethel, a Republican from Dalton who had just been re-elected to the Senate seat in November, to the Georgia Court of Appeals. Bethel will assume those duties on Jan. 1.

The special election was nonpartisan but the candidates could list a party preference. Goodson, Payne, Underwood and Vinyard listed their party affiliation as Republican on the ballot. Peppers did not list an affiliation.