Former West Point Mayor Drew Ferguson beat state Sen. Mike Crane in the hotly contested Republican runoff in Georgia’s 3rd congressional district Tuesday.
Crane conceded the race in a phone call to Ferguson shortly before 10 p.m., a campaign spokeswoman said.
Ferguson and Crane were locked in a tense battle to replace longtime Republican congressman Lynn Westmoreland, who decided not to seek re-election. The 3rd District stretches from the southwestern Atlanta suburbs to the Alabama border.
The U.S. Chambers of Commerce, which backed Ferguson with more than $650,000 in ads and get-out-the-vote efforts, released a statement Tuesday night congratulating its candidate.
The chamber was one of several groups from outside of Georgia that flooded the district with more than $2.1 million in funding to sway voters in what became a proxy battle for control over the future of the state Republican Party.
Ferguson, a dentist, focused his campaign on the efforts he undertook to revive his hometown after Kia Motors opened a new plant nearby. He also hammered away at his opponent for past comments on “no-knock” warrants, framing Crane as anti-cop during a summer in which the nation reeled following a string of murders and attacks that involved police officers.
Crane, a fiery social conservative who backed so-called “religious liberty” legislation in the state Senate, lambasted Ferguson for “gutter politics” and underscored his support for law enforcement. He argued that he was the only true conservative in the race.
Crane was endorsed by U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, conservative radio host Erick Erickson, state Sen. Josh McKoon, R-Columbus, and the limited government-focused Club for Growth, which funneled more than $800,000 into the race. Ferguson, meanwhile, had the backing of much of Georgia’s GOP “establishment,” including U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, former Gov. Sonny Perdue and Westmoreland, who is rumored to be eyeing a run for governor in 2018.
Ferguson faces Grantville Democrat Angela Pendley in November, but he will be heavily favored to win the seat in a district drawn to elect a Republican.
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