It will be incumbent Republican Chuck Fleischmann squaring off against physician and Democrat Mary Headrick in the November race for the 3rd District U.S. Congress seat.

The winner will officially be Monroe County's U.S. House representative come January. Monroe County had been in the 2nd District until the districts were redrawn earlier this year. Before then the county had been served by the late John Duncan and his son, John Duncan Jr., for the last half century.

The Republican Congressional race was hotly contested with millions of dollars spent in often negative television advertising.

Fleischmann and challengers Scottie Mayfield of Athens and Weston Wamp of Chattanooga had spent considerable time in Monroe County the past few months.

Early on Thursday evening, major media outlets declared Fleischmann the winner, however Mayfield was reluctant to concede, even though AP's final vote totals showed the incumbent with more than a 6,000 vote count over the McMinn County dairyman.

According to the Hamilton County Election Commission, the results there for the 3rd District GOP primary election were: Wamp - 14,305, or 39.11 percent; Fleischmann - 14,204, or 38.84 percent; Mayfield - 7,435, or 20.33 percent and Ron Bhalla - 563 or 1.54 percent.

"I still have a glimmer of hope," Mayfield said.

But Fleischmann was ready to move on.

"Thank you to all of my volunteers and supporters, who believed in me and put in many long hours to make our victory happen," Fleischmann said in a statement after his win. "I am forever indebted to you.  To those of you who did not vote for me, I will continue to work as hard as I can to earn your trust, your support and your vote."

In Monroe County, however, Mayfield trounced Fleischmann 2,751 votes to 1,248. Wamp was a distant third with 514 votes with Bhalla finishing fourth with only 30 votes.

On the Democrat ballot, Headrick's win over Bill Taylor was close, 666 votes to 635, but her margin of victory percentage wise was larger across the district.

She thanked her supporters on Facebook and said she looks forward to the November campaign.

State House races

The Republican incumbents and their Democrat challengers for November were unopposed in Thursday's party primaries for the Tennessee House.

That means 21st District Rep. Jimmy Matlock will face off against Andrew Bennett III and 23rd District Rep. John Forgety will square off against Peggy Hall Wall.

Former Monroe County resident Julia Hurley, the incumbent for the 32rd District, was beaten in her party primary.

U.S. Senate race

Republican incumbent Sen. Bob Corker won his statewide primary and will meet the Democrat winner from Thursday, Mark E. Clayton in November.

tommy.millsaps@advocateanddemocrat.com | 337-7101