It only lasted 11 days, but Pineville Mayor Scott Madon’s bid for Eastern Kentucky’s Senate District 29 was a resounding success.

According to numbers finalized Wednesday night, Madon won the district (which includes Bell, Knott, Harlan, Letcher and Floyd counties) in a landslide.

The busy campaign schedule came after the death of Sen. Johnnie Turner of Harlan, who died in late October due to complications following a lawnmower accident.

Turner’s death and the withdrawal of the only other candidate on the ballot, independent David Suhr, led to the strange situation that developed. The only ones who got eligible votes were the write-in candidates who had to submit their paperwork just days after Turner’s death. In total, 11 different people showed up.

Madon won 35 percent of the electorate with 35.2%. Second best was Willie Crase of Floyd County, who recorded 15%, followed by Tyler Ward of Letcher County and Independet candidate Tanner Hesterberg.

Justin Noble, the candidate who received endorsements from Democratic figures such as Gov. Andy Beshear and former House Democratic leader Rocky Adkins, came in fifth with about 10% of the vote.

Local election officials were required to visually count write-in votes, and voters were required to fill out a box designated for a write-in vote and spell the last name of their preferred candidate.

The Pineville mayor gained some advantages early. He won the support of the deep-pocketed Senate Republican Campaign Caucus Committee; Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester; and veteran Fifth Congressional District Representative Hal Rogers, R-Ky.

While results in Floyd, Knott and Letcher were close between a handful of candidates, Madon won massive margins in his home county of Bell, as well as neighboring Harlan. He won more than 2,500 votes in those counties: 79% for Bell and 61% for Harlan.

Madon also received support from Turner’s surviving family for her competency, stating that their support “despite her time of tremendous pain and mourning was incredibly moving.”

“Having the support and blessing of the family of the late Senator Johnnie L. Turner meant a lot to me, and having their support and encouragement despite their time of tremendous pain and grief was incredibly moving and very emotional for me. “I will do everything I can to continue Senator Turner’s legacy of service to Eastern Kentucky,” Madon wrote in a statement.

Madon has cited infrastructure (highway projects are vital to the region, where long, winding valleys dominate the landscape) and energy as key policy priorities heading into his first term in Frankfort.

“I will wake up every day thinking about the people of the mountains and wanting to work hard for you in Frankfort to make our home an even better place to live, work and raise a family,” Madon said.