Current state Rep. Michael Rush beat out Republican challenger Brad Williams to win the Norfolk and Suffolk state Senate district Tuesday night.

In a celebratory event at the Corrib Pub in West Roxbury, Rush arrived shortly after 9 p.m. and quickly claimed victory.

Met with dozens of supporters at the restaurant, including his mother Ginny and father Jim, Rush greeted several supporters before claiming victory at around 9:30 p.m.

"I am absolutely thrilled [with] our numbers," Rush said in an interview. "I think my message has resonated. And it is a message of common sense, independence and hard work."

Unofficial tallies as of 11:45 p.m. Tuesday had Rush with 70 percent of the vote and Williams with 30 with 82 percent of precincts reporting.

Rush had served in the state House of Representatives in the 10th Suffolk District since 2002, which is comprised of West Roxbury, as well as parts of Brookline and Roslindale. 

Rush will take over for retiring state Sen. Marian Walsh, a six-term holder of the office.

One reason Rush has said he wanted to run for State Senate was to have a better ability to get legislation passed on Beacon Hill.

But the basic principle of advocacy remains the same, he said.

"The dynamics are different only in sheer numbers," Rush said. "It's about people. That's the bottom line. Government is not business."

Williams, 39, ran on promises of wanting to lower taxes. He is a principal at Boston Investment Advisers, a small-independent investment company. 

Williams supporters trickled in slowly and watched election updates on televisions at Sagra restaurant in Dedham.

And by the time Williams spoke to his supporters, they already knew that he had conceded to Rush minutes before entering.

"I've been in this [race] for 12 months, and like I said, it wasn't about me, it's only been about the voters," said Williams.

He said that there are still three main issues for him:

• bringing state spending under control
• stop jobs from leaving the state
• Beacon Hill needs to be ethically reformed

"We need to do a better job of keeping our jobs here in Massachusetts, and our young people in Massachusetts… Three of our state senators are still in jail. Our elected officials should be fiduciaries," he said.

Williams said his campaign message that he was running "to guard your wallet" has not "gotten through yet" to Massachusetts' voters.

Williams concluded by stressing that the Republican Party needs to continue to grow in the district by making local Republican ward committees more active.

In West Roxbury, Williams rejuvenated the Boston Ward 20 Republican Committee and became the chairman in May of last year. In Nov. of 2009 he was chosen to be the vice chair of the Boston City Republican Committee.

In the crowd was Williams' mother, Pat, from a small town near Buffalo, N.Y., said of the campaign, "I thought it was very, very exciting. Well-run. This is what we heard from people today while we were holding signs."

Both candidates ran hard in the suburbs, making several stop sin Dedham since the primary races concluded in September. Rush attended Michael d'Entremont's swearing-in ceremony as the town's new police chief, and a meeting of a recently formed library group in Dedham. Williams visited a Town Hall to Your Neighborhood meeting at NewBridge on the Charles and the presentation of the state grant for the revitalization of Dedham Square.

Rush defeated Westwood resident Michael Walsh in September's primary, and Williams ran unopposed on the Republican ticket.

Rush said he learned a lot about what's facing suburban communities in Norfolk County from Westwood Station to the new Norwood High School, and he heard about the struggles of small businesses.

On the trail, he said he told prospective voters that he would help create jobs in their communities.

"The numbers prove that people were listening," Rush said.