Arkansas State Senator Kim Hammer defeated U.S. Army veteran Bryan Norris in Tuesday’s Republican primary runoff for secretary of state, winning by a slim margin of 50.6% to 49.4%.

Hammer received 40,876 votes compared to Norris’ 39,938, according to reported results. He will advance to the November general election, where he is set to face Democrat Kelly Grappe and Libertarian Michael Pakko. Grappe ran unopposed in the Democratic primary.

Both Republican candidates campaigned on strengthening election integrity and supporting efforts aligned with former President Donald Trump’s calls to reform voting systems. Hammer emphasized his legislative experience, including a 2023 law he authored requiring compatibility between hand-counted ballots and state tabulation systems, while also placing the financial burden of hand-counting on individual counties.

Hammer entered the runoff with backing from key figures in Arkansas’ Republican establishment, including Sen. Tom Cotton, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Lt. Gov. Leslie Rutledge, Attorney General Tim Griffin, and outgoing Secretary of State Cole Jester.

The race also drew significant outside spending, with political groups investing heavily ahead of the runoff. Norris faced additional scrutiny during the campaign over past social media posts, including remarks directed at Cotton that drew criticism from party leaders.

Hammer now heads into the general election with historical advantages. Arkansas has not elected a Democrat as secretary of state in two decades, and no Democrat has won a statewide office in the state since 2010, making the GOP nominee the early favorite in November.