In a race watched nationally for its implications within the Republican Party, Bradley Byrne won the GOP primary runoff for the U.S. Congressional District 1 nomination Tuesday, beating Dean Young in a close race.
Byrne finished with 52.48 percent of the vote in the district, while Young had 47.51 percent. Young conceded the race at 9:45 p.m., shortly after the Associated Press called the race for Byrne.
Byrne won Escambia County, with 54.91 percent of the vote.
Byrne, considered a more traditional conservative, has served in the state Senate and on the state school board. Young was backed by Tea Party groups and by Chief Justice Roy Moore.
Byrne won 1,716 votes in Escambia County to Young’s 1,409 votes.
Byrne also won Baldwin County and Mobile County, while Young won Monroe and Washington counties and won Clarke County by just one vote, 424 to 423.
Byrne will face Democratic nominee Burton LeFlore on Dec. 17, for the chance to win Jo Bonner’s seat in Congress. Bonner resigned in the summer to take a position with the University of Alabama system.
The political makeup of the six-county district heavily favors a Republican. The Dec. 17 ballot will also include independent candidate James Hall.