Butler mayor-elect Ben Smith, a Republican, is excited Tuesday night at an election night party at his campaign headquarters and business, Reclamation Brewing.

Spirits were high Tuesday night at Reclamation Brewing in Butler, as friends of co-owner Ben Smith celebrated his unofficial victory as Butler's next mayor.

Smith, a Republican, received 1,259 votes to defeat Democrat Jamie Lee Goehring, who received 722 votes, according to unofficial results posted by the county Bureau of Elections.

Smith attributed his victory to listening to voters and telling them his plans and ideas for the city.

“I went to a lot of houses. It paid off,” Smith said. “I'm humbled. I'm appreciative. What I said resonated with voters.”

Smith said he was surprised by his wide margin of victory.

“I was expecting it to be very close,” he said.

Goehring, who was watching results come in at Natili North Pizza Shoppe, said she isn't disappointed by the outcome and urged the city to support Smith, whom she called and congratulated.

“We wanted the city to be in a better place. I'm proud of Ben, proud of where the city is going,” Goehring said. “I ask all of Butler to stand behind Ben.”

She said the election was about moving the city forward.

“It was a fair race. It wasn't about me. It was about the city,” Goehring said.

Smith, 29, who is originally from the Cincinnati area, spent most of his life in Pennsylvania and moved to Butler in 2014. He is married and has two children.

He opened Reclamation Brewery downtown two years ago.

Butler's mayor is paid $10,000 a year.

Current Mayor Tom Donaldson, who lost to Smith in May's primary, ran a write-in campaign. According to unofficial online totals, 112 write-in votes were cast in the Butler mayoral election Tuesday.