In a Callaway County general election marked by victories for his party, Republican Christopher Wilson achieved a solid victory of Democratic opponent Leah Williamson Baker, taking 64 percent of the vote.
"I was absolutely surprised," Wilson said of the margin of victory. "I think everyone thought these would be very tight races."
He said Tuesday night's win was something he has worked for his entire career.
"I went to law school to be a prosecutor, so that dream has come true. This has been a 20 year journey," said Wilson, who has been a prosecutor in Callaway for more than 10 years. "I'm just so grateful to the people of Callaway County putting their trust in me.
"I'm very grateful for the opportunity and looking forward to the challenge."
While Bob Rogers in Calwood said he voted for Wilson "for no particular reason; I didn't know the other person's name," many Callaway voters said they voted straight Republican tickets because they wanted a change.
"Democrats don't stand for anything I stand for," said Marla Mason in Calwood. "The Democrats are totally out of touch with the common man."
Patty Becker in Auxvasse said she voted "pretty much Republican because I've been listening to the TV quite a lot ... there's just more things I agree with that the Republicans were running for."
Although Wilson took the majority of the vote, Williamson Baker did have a number of supporters, particularly in the northern part of the county, where Ray Anderson said he supported her "because she's a Democrat and I'm sick of Republicans."
Wendy Garner in Auxvasse said she voted for Williamson Baker because "I don't care for Chris Wilson."
"I do like her though, and I think it's time we had a woman as prosecuting attorney," Garner said.
Bobbie Wilson in Calwood supported Williamson Baker because she knows the family. Jackie Burton in Auxvasse also voted for her based on name recognition, noting she supported the Democrat "because of her advertisements."
Now that he has secured the position of Callaway County prosecuting attorney, Wilson said he is excited to get started.
"I'm looking forward just to the challenges that lie ahead," Wilson said. "Obviously after the events of last week we have our work cut out for us. We've got a really great team in place, and now we'll be able to move ahead with continued success."
Williamson Baker was not available for comment.