AUSTIN, TEXAS (AP) -- Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison has conceded the Texas Republican gubernatorial primary to Gov. Rick Perry.
Hutchison told supporters in Dallas on Tuesday night that she called Perry once she believed the election results were clear. She said that "we have fought valiantly for our principles, but we did not win."
Perry, Hutchison and GOP activist Debra Medina were vying for the Republican nomination in a hard-hitting primary that largely overshadowed the Democratic race and highlighted the anti-Washington sentiment among midterm voters.
With a third of precincts reporting, Perry was ahead with 52 percent of the vote to Hutchison's 31 percent. Medina had 17 percent. Hutchison might have been in a runoff with Perry had his support dropped to less than 50 percent.
The winner of the GOP race will face former Houston Mayor Bill White, who defeated six other candidates on the Democratic side to become his party's nominee.
(Copyright ©2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
