Rudolph Drake secured the Democratic nomination for Alabama Senate District 2 on Tuesday, defeating Alex House in a runoff election and advancing to face Republican John Roberts in November.

Unofficial election results showed Drake receiving 3,146 votes, or about 53%, compared to House’s 2,736 votes, or 47%.

The runoff was required after neither candidate earned a majority in the May primary. Drake and House finished within three percentage points of one another in that contest, sending the race to a second round of voting.

Senate District 2 covers western Madison County and portions of eastern Limestone County.

Roberts advanced to the general election as the Republican nominee, setting up a November matchup for the open seat.

The seat is open because longtime Republican State Sen. Tom Butler (R-Madison) did not seek re-election.