Mississippi businessman Joseph “Bubba” Tubb, has won a state House seat after a Tuesday runoff election between him and teacher Matthew Conoly. Photo courtesy Joseph “Bubba” Tubb

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi businessman Joseph “Bubba” Tubb, has won a state House seat after a Tuesday runoff election between him and teacher Matthew Conoly.

Tubb, 57, of Lamar County, is a Republican with no prior political experience. He works in commercial real estate. He fills the seat vacated by Republican Billy Andrews of Purvis who was elected in November 2019 to the District 87 seat but resigned in March because he could not serve in the House while also collecting the state pension he earned as a judge.

The seat represents Forrest and Lamar counties.

A total of 1,596 ballots were cast, with Tubb receiving 930 votes or about 58.5% to 666 votes or 41.5% for Conoly, 39, who has worked in the Forrest County and Hattiesburg school systems, The Hattiesburg American reported.

Tubb will serve the final three years of a four-year term.