DALTON, Ga. — There are still more than 100 Georgia voting precincts that haven’t fully reported results from Tuesday’s election but Dalton native Charlie Bethel appears poised to retain his seat on the Supreme Court of Georgia.

Bethel was leading Atlanta attorney and former state House of Representatives member Beth Beskin by 909,265 votes (53.17%) to 800,844 votes (46.83%) on Thursday.

The Supreme Court of Georgia is the highest judicial authority in the state.

Bethel said Tuesday night he went to bed “feeling good about what we were seeing and where the math was lining up but still with a lot of questions” because of the number of outstanding votes.

“It became pretty clear on Wednesday as more votes came that the margin we had was not likely to erode,” he said. “It looks like what is still outstanding are absentee votes and maybe some advance. And across the board, in every jurisdiction, it appears we polled better in absentee and advance than on Election Day.”

Then-governor Nathan Deal appointed Bethel to the Supreme Court of Georgia in 2018 to fill the unexpired term of retiring Justice P. Harris Hines. Bethel is seeking his first full six-year term on the court.

Deal appointed Bethel to the Court of Appeals of Georgia in November 2016, just days after Bethel was elected to a fourth term in the state Senate. Bethel won a full term on that court in 2018 and was appointed by Deal to the Supreme Court of Georgia just a few months later.

Bethel, who is a former member of the Dalton City Council, is a graduate of the University of Georgia School of Law.

Bethel said he is “excited” to be elected to a full term on the Supreme Court of Georgia.

“I am proud to be from Northwest Georgia and Dalton and Whitfield County,” he said. “I always try to do whatever I can to represent our community well. I’m extremely gratified by the overwhelming support I continue to receive there. And I will continue to do everything I can to make the people there proud.”