We had two special elections last night and two special election victories.

South Carolina saw Republican Phyllis Henderson win:

Voters in Greenville County chose the new member of the South Carolina House on Tuesday.

Republican Phyllis Henderson topped Democrat Susan Scarborough Smith for the District 21 seat, claiming 73 percent of the votes.

The special election filled the seat of the late Rep. Bill Wylie, of Simpsonville. Officials said the 70-year-old Republican died of a heart attack while on vacation in Jackson’s Hole, Wyo., in September.

Voters in Texas sent Republican John Kuempel to the State House:

John Kuempel, son of the late state Rep. Edmund Kuempel, won a special election Tuesday to fill his late father’s seat, state election officials said. With all precincts reporting, John Kuempel, 40, received 65 percent of the votes cast.

Voters chose between six Republicans, two Democrats and a Libertarian. The second-runner, Republican Gary Inmon, got 10 percent.

John Kuempel’s victory gives the GOP 101 seats in the Texas House — one more than the supermajority they achieved earlier Tuesday, when Democrats Allen Ritter of Nederland and Aaron Peña of Edinburg formally became Republicans.

Edmund Kuempel, 67, a Seguin Republican, died Nov. 4 from a heart attack, two days after he was re-elected to the District 44 seat representing Guadalupe, Gonzales and Wilson counties.