Tennessee's gubernatorial race is set.
In Thursday night's primaries, voters selected Republican Bill Lee to face off against Democrat Karl Dean in the general election on November 6.
The AP called the election for Lee just after 10 p.m. with 64 percent of precincts reporting. Lee had 37 percent of the vote, followed by Randy Boyd, Diane Black, and Beth Harwell, in a tightly contested and sometimes brutal race on the Republican side. Basil Marceaux Sr. and Kay White were also on the GOP ballot.
"Man, I love y'all," were the first words Lee had for supporters after his opponents conceded the race.
"I am really proud of the campaign that we have run," he said. and of the political attack ads run by his opponents, "We didn't go down that road and I'm not going to start now."
Governor Bill Haslam congratulated Lee on his primary victory.
"Bill is a man of strong faith and character, and I know he will lead Tennessee in the right direction. He has long been a supporter of Tennessee’s business-friendly environment, and he is committed to the education and development of the state’s workforce. Bill has demonstrated that he will put the needs of Tennesseans at the forefront of any decision he makes as governor of our great state," Haslam said in a statement.
On the Democratic side, former Nashville mayor Karl Dean defeated State Rep. Craig Fitzhugh and Mezianne Vale Payne.
"I'm doing it to win. And Tennessee has a tradition to alternate the party within the governorship. I think our state's more moderate than I think we really understand. And I think the people want somebody who's practical and pragmatic and can get things done," he said after the win.
The candidates spent millions on advertisements that filled television, radio, newspaper, and even social media feeds.
This was the most expensive gubernatorial race in Tennessee history, with the candidates spending $50 million dollars on those ads.
Get all the election results here.
