A former executive with CIGNA who founded the managed care insurer AMERIGROUP won the Republican primary for a special election to the state senate, moving him closer to becoming the next representative of Virginia’s 8th District.

Jeff McWaters

Jeff McWaters received 4,776 votes (63%), putting him ahead of his challenger, Virginia Beach City Councilwoman Rosemary Wilson, with 2,815 votes (37%), in an election for the successor to Republican state Sen. Ken Stolle. Stolle was recently elected as sheriff of Virginia Beach.

The results are preliminary with the Republican Party of Virginia Beach set to make them official later this week.

In a statement on his website, McWaters said he was “humbled at the fantastic turnout” Virginia Beach delivered for him on the Dec. 5 special election.

“Despite the horrible weather conditions, Virginia Beach voters have once again taken pride and participated in the significant constitutional right we as Americans have: the right to vote,” McWaters said.

The victory over Wilson moves McWaters to the Jan. 12, 2010, general election, where he may not even have an opponent. Democrats have yet to field a candidate to run against him.

McWaters served as senior vice president for managed care for CIGNA, responsible for Medicare operations and health plans in eight mid-Atlantic states, before becoming CEO of Value Options, a behavioral health care company. In 1994, he founded AMERIGROUP to help meet the health care needs of low-income families enrolled in programs such as Medicaid. He served as CEO of the company until his retirement in 2007 and continued to serve as chairman of the board until 2008.