WASHINGTON_Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett has won the Republican nomination for Tennessee's open 2nd District, likely becoming the next member of Congress from the safe Republican seat.
With 90 percent of precincts reporting, Burchett had 49 percent of the vote in Thursday's seven-way primary, The Associated Press reported, with state Rep. Jimmy Matlock and Tennessee Air National Guard Lt. Col. Ashley Nickloes trailing with 35 percent and 11 percent, respectively.
With the result, for the first time in more than 50 years, the Knoxville-area district won't be represented by someone with the last name Duncan. Current GOP Rep. John J. Duncan Jr. (whose father held the seat before him) is not running for re-election.
The defeat of Nickloes, who was the only woman in this seven-way GOP primary, also means that Tennessee is unlikely to have any women in its House delegation next year. Neither GOP Reps. Diane Black nor Marsha Blackburn are running for re-election. Black lost her race for governor Thursday night, while Blackburn easily secured the GOP nod for Senate.
Burchett was first elected to the state House in 1994, and has never lost a race since. He's well-known in the area for headline-grabbing moves, such as introducing a "road kill bill" in the state Senate that would allow motorists to eat the carcasses they killed and later for bringing the Animal Planet show "Finding Bigfoot" to Knox County. He's also faced negative headlines for ethical problems. Citing anonymous sources, The Knoxville News Sentinel reported in December that Burchett may have been the subject of an FBI investigation into possible tax evasion or bribery, which he has denied.
Matlock had Duncan's endorsement. He also received financial support from North Carolina Rep. Mark Meadows, the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus.
Nickloes represented the state's best chance to send a woman to the House in 2019. Winning for Women spent $27,000 on digital ads for her, while Defending Main Street made a more significant investment, spending $100,000 on TV ads in the Knoxville market.
Burchett will face Democrat Renee Hoyos, a former environmental nonprofit executive, in the general election. Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rates the race Solid Republican. President Donald Trump carried the 2nd District by 35 points in 2016.
