Complex sentence: To win the Democratic nomination Patterson first defeated probation officer Willard McClung, the son of former Minden police chief Harvey McClung, 2,524 (57 percent) to 1,967 (43 percent).
Split into simpler sentences: To win the Democratic nomination Patterson first defeated probation officer Willard McClung, the son of former Minden police chief Harvey McClung. That vote was 2,524 (57 percent) to 1,967 (43 percent).