Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter will face a runoff against Marshall Simien Jr. on May 3 as he campaigns for his third term as mayor.

Hunter, a Republican, received 47% of the vote in the primary election, according to complete but unofficial results on Saturday evening. Simien, an independent and former City Council member, received 29%.

A total of 14,122 votes were cast in the race with an unofficial turnout of 30.7%.

Hunter and Simien faced three other challengers in Saturday's election: Wilford Carter II, a Democrat; Khalid Taha, a Republican; and James Steward, who ran under no party.

Carter received 18% of the vote, Taha received 4% and Steward 2%.

Related: See how much Lake Charles mayoral candidates spent on the election

The race has largely centered on economic development and diversification of revenue sources — especially how the city could prepare for the possibility of Texas legalizing gaming and whether resources are fairly allocated between north and south Lake Charles.

Hunter had a huge fundraising lead in the race, raising seven times as much as Simien, his next-closest competitor. Hunter still had about $220,000 in funds as of his most recent filing with the Louisiana Board of Ethics. Simien had just $7,000 remaining.

Hunter, a former member of the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury and a partner in the restaurant Villa Harlequin, was first elected mayor in 2017. 

He earned 34% of the vote in the primary election that year against seven challengers, ultimately defeating Wilford Carter Sr. in the runoff with 56% of the vote. Simien narrowly missed the runoff that year.

During his first term, Hunter found himself in the national eye after Lake Charles was slammed back-to-back with Hurricanes Laura and Delta in 2020. He called on federal leaders not to overlook Lake Charles’ suffering and to put resources toward helping the city recover. 

The next year, he sailed to reelection, tallying 74% of the vote against three new challengers during the 2021 primary election.

This time around, Hunter’s campaign has focused on his success with economic development districts, infrastructure projects and raising city employee wages without increasing taxes. He has touted a lakefront economic development district that includes the in-progress Crying Eagle Brewery and recently completed Port Wonder, which houses a children’s museum and a state nature and science center. 

Hunter has also defended the city’s purchase of the property where the Capital One Tower once stood, which served as a constant reminder of Hurricane Laura’s devastation until its demolition. Hunter has backed plans to construct an amphitheater in its place.

The Capital One Tower site purchase has emerged as one of the issues that’s divided candidates in the race.

Simien, an attorney, has spoken out against the city's purchase of the Capital One Tower site, citing lost property tax revenue.

His campaign this time around has focused on his achievements while serving two terms on the City Council as Lake Charles recovered from Hurricane Rita and his time on the city's Port Board of Commissioners, the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury and the Louisiana Board of Commerce and Energy.