Ben Watson hold state Senate seat against Republican challenger Beth Majeroni

District 1 State Senator Ben Watson won reelection Tuesday night after drawing a primary opponent for the first time during his tenure in the Georgia Senate.

Watson defeated conservative activist Beth Majeroni, known widely for her role as education chairwoman for Ladies on the Right and her advocacy to remove "obscene" books from school libraries. Watson carried 60% of the district's vote. With no Democrat qualified in the race, Watson will begin his 11th year in the Georgia Legislature next year.

"I am confident in what we have done, and the results are very promising," Watson said in an interview earlier in the night.

Watson watched the results roll in Tuesday night with family and close friends at a neighbor's house in Isle of Hope.

Majeroni positioned herself as the "true conservative" candidate in the race. Two of her goals were to make Watson "earn his seat" in a primary and push him towards more conservative policies, she said.

Although she did not win the race, which she said was her third goal, Majeroni said she felt like she accomplished what she set out to do. During a speech at her election-night party at Arnie's Tavern in The Landings, Majeroni said there would likely be "another step" for her moving forward. For her, the run for a state legislative seat expanded her profile and platform.

"I have a bigger voice for those things we want to get accomplished in the state of Georgia," Majeroni said.

Watson said his approach during this year's legislative session did not change due to the primary. Watson said in another term he is looking forward to continuing legislating with a Republican Senate Caucus that works well together.

"You have to be able to work together to get through all of this," Watson said.

Evan Lasseter is the city and county government reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at ELasseter@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Ben Watson poised to serve eleventh year in Georgia Senate