Rep. Wamp loses gov. primary to Mayor Haslam

Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam (R) defeated Rep. Zach Wamp (R-Tenn.) and Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey (R) to claim the GOP gubernatorial nod Thursday.

Boosted by his support during early voting, Haslam was declared the winner by the Associated Press close to an hour after the polls closed in Tennessee. He'd received more than 131,000 votes, while Wamp, his closest rival, had just less than 70,000.

By Aug. 2 more than 540,000 people had already cast ballots for Thursday's primary, according to the Tennessee Department of State. 

Haslam was the favorite going into the primary vote, with Wamp and Ramsey splitting support from the more conservative wing of the party.

Wamp generated controversy last month when he seemed to suggest that Tennessee should consider secession in light of the federal mandates contained in the Democrats' healthcare reform bill. The eight-term congressman later backed away from those comments.

Ramsey, meanwhile, questioned whether Islam was a religion. He also had the support of some 20 Tea Party groups in the state.

Wamp and Ramsey attacked Haslam for his position on gun control and his record on raising taxes early in his tenure as mayor. It didn't help that Haslam's father, James Haslam II, was involved in a group supporting tax reform in the 1990s.

The other candidate in the race who gained notoriety was retired Marine Basil Marceaux (R). He became an Internet sensation after a speech that included self-references as "Basil Marceaux.com" went viral on YouTube. He subsequently appeared on Comedy Central's The Colbert Report. He'd registered only 784 votes by the time Haslam was declared the winner.

Democrat Mike McWherter was unopposed for the nomination.