District 9 State Rep. Henry Burns, R- Haughton, will face Bossier City attorney and fellow Republican Ryan Gatti for the district 36 senate seat on the Nov. 21 ballot.
Burns, Gatti and Democrat Todd Hollenshead faced off to gain the seat long held by term-limited Robert Adley.
Overall, Burns led with 10,202 votes or 40.30 percent for the senate seat – which includes Webster, Bossier, Claiborne and Bienville parishes – to Gatti’s 8,649 votes or 34.16 percent and Hollenshead’s 6,465 votes or 25.54 percent.
Despite coming in third in the district, Hollenshead was second in Webster Parish taking in 676 more votes than Gatti. In Webster, Burns led with 3,146 votes to Hollenshead’s 3,052 and Gatti’s 2,376.
Burns, who has held House District 9 seat since 2007, says his experience gives him an advantage heading into the runoff.
“We understand the dynamics, the legislative process and built relationships with legislators,” Burns said at his campaign watch party. “ Half the senate is made up of people that I have worked with and understand my interest in serving the people.”
Gatti says Saturday night’s results proved critics wrong.
“We took on a 30-year politician and no one thought we had a chance and said I was wasting my time,” he told a room full of supporters Saturday night. “We changed all that tonight.”