The rowdy March 3 race to replace one of the most conservative members of the U.S. House is finished, but the contest is not over with Republicans headed for a runoff.

In the Democratic primary for North Carolina's new 11th District, retired Air Force Col. Moe Davis won, amassing 47% of the votes with 96% of precincts reported. Closest to him was Gina Collias with 22.7%. Five Democrats were in the race.

Davis sent out a statement thanking voters and referencing the district's redrawing. That happened after court challenges over how Republican mapmakers shaped it to their advantage.

“I’m grateful to the voters for giving me an opportunity to potentially serve once again and I’m grateful to the thousands of people that donated their money, their time and their efforts over 15 weeks to make up the ground I lost because of gerrymandering,’’ said Davis, a retired Air Force colonel and former Guantanamo Bay chief prosecutor. “It has really been a team effort and I’m honored to have that team behind me. We’re going to fight hard for the next eight months and we’ll win in November.”

Republicans, meanwhile, had split their votes between 11 candidates, denying the top vote-getter, Lynda Bennett, a clear win.

Bennett had 22.7% of the vote. Madison Cawthorn of Henderson County was in second with 20.4%. And N.C. Sen. Jim Davis of Franklin was in a close third with 19.3%

If the first-place candidate does not get more than 30%, the second-place finisher can ask for a runoff, called a "secondary primary" in North Carolina. Cawthorn has indicated he will do so.

That race would be May 12. The ultimate winner will face Davis in the Nov. 3 general election.

Bennett, a Haywood County real estate owner, would be the first woman to represent the 11th District, if elected. She released a statement noting her endorsement by the district's current congressman, Mark Meadows, and her support for President Donald Trump's policies. Meadows is one of the House's most conservative members and a nationally prominent backer of Trump.

“I’m humbled by the outpouring of support across the district, and our team is ready to win the runoff and go on to the general election. I’m the proven conservative in this race who will work with President Trump to stand up to the radical socialists, cut taxes, build the wall, protect life, and stand for our Christian values.”

Cawthorn took a shot at Bennett, noting the more than $500,000 in Super PAC support that poured into the district on her behalf. About half a million more was spent on behalf of two other candidates Dan Driscoll and Jim Davis. Cawthorn also referenced apparent campaign finance violations with one political action committee backing Bennett that didn't disclose the PAC's relationship with her.

"You would think I’d be feeling nervous or anger that I didn’t win the first round--of course, I feel those emotions—but what I feel is motivation and a fire. This campaign with the Lynda Bennett side has been unfair. It’s been Washington politics like we hate, and Western North Carolina has said with a very strong voice—beating a million dollars in dark PAC money and also beating the starpower of congressman Mark Meadows—that we’re tired of it," he said.

Jim Davis told the Citizen Times that he was not conceding because he came in third in the race and wasn’t in the position to do so.

“I accept the results just so long as its final,” he said.

Democratic primary

Moe Davis - 52,665 (47%)

Gina Collias - 25,213 (23%)

Michael O'Shea - 12,418 (11.16%)

Phillip G. Price - 12,549 (11.28%)

Steve Woodsmall - 8,378 (7.53%)

Republican primary

Lynda Bennett - 20,510 (22.3%)

Madison Cawthorn - 18,418 (20.40%)

Jim Davis - 17,400 (19.27%)

Chuck Archerd - 8,233 (9.12%)

Wayne King - 7,834 (8.68%)

Dan Driscoll - 7,768 (8.60%)

Joey Osborne - 6,420 (7.11%)

Vance Patterson - 2,228 (2.47%)

Matthew Burril - 520 (0.58%)

Albert Wiley, Jr. - 389 (0.43%)

Dillon S. Gentry - 382 (0.42%)

Steven Fekete, Jr. - 175 (0.19%)

Results are unofficial until the March 13 canvassing.

The current 11th District splits Asheville in a move political experts said is political gerrymandering. After court challenges new lines were drawn that made the district less of a clear Republican win. Facing and having been mentioned for a potential White House job, Meadows chose not to run for re-election.

That created a wide-open race to replace him.

The new lines for the 11th District cover 16 and a half of the state's westernmost counties, including Buncombe and Henderson.

Democrats sparred over whether a more moderate candidate was needed to win the red-leaning district, with Davis saying he could fill that spot. Criticism also included the party change by Collias, who said she switched to Democrat because the GOP was "devaluing" women.

Among Democratic supporters of Davis was Buncombe District Attorney Todd Williams who praised the former prosecutor's service in the Guantanamo detention camp which ended after Davis said he protested the use of torture.

"Moe Davis has consistently shown throughout his career that he'll put principles and ethics before politics," Williams said. "I feel he'll provide both the integrity and the leadership to effectively represent Buncombe County in Congress."

In the GOP race most candidates said they were aligned with Trump and Meadows and praised the two. But the congressman picked Bennet to endorse. That was followed by the more than the half a million dollars in Meadows-linked Super PAC money spent to back her.