Preliminary results show Mike Dugan leading his opponent in a special Republican primary for a state senate seat in western Georgia.

With 100 percent of the regular votes counted in District 30 late Tuesday, Dugan was leading with nearly 56 percent of the vote compared to Republican candidate Bill Hembree's 44 percent. Provisional ballots were not included in the tally; it was not clear Tuesday night when officials would announce the final results.

At stake is a state senate seat left vacant by Republican William Hamrick, of Carrollton, who stepped down to become a judge.

The winner of the primary will face James Camp, a Libertarian candidate, in a Jan. 8 special general election.

District 30 includes parts of Carroll, Douglass and Paulding counties in western Georgia.

Tags: election, Georgia Senate, runoff, election 2012, primary runoff, mike dugan, bill hembree, james camp