The people of St. Charles have spoken. Republican Tom Dempsey has defeated Democrat Ed Appelbaum tonight to become Missouri’s newest state senator.

The final unofficial results are:

Dempsey — 6,671 (56.2%)
Appelbaum — 5,199 (43.8%)

Here’s a statement from the Missouri Republican Party:

“Tom Dempsey’s hard-fought victory is great news for the residents of the 23rd Senatorial District who will benefit from his strong work ethic and his dedication to improving the lives of Missourians. Tom’s strong support of Gov. Matt Blunt’s agenda including funding increases for public education, enhanced job creation, significant health care reform and disdain for tax increases played an important role in his successful campaign. Missouri Republicans congratulate Tom on his impressive victory and look forward to his continued success as a member of the Missouri Senate.”

Dempsey replaces Republican Senator Chuck Gross, who resigned to take another job.