Republican Army veteran Wesley Hunt beat five competitors in the primary for Houston’s Congressional District 7 and will face off against Democratic Rep. Lizzie Fletcher in November in what is set to be one of the most competitive races in the country, unofficial results showed.

Hunt took about 61 percent of the vote to avoid a runoff, while Cindy Siegel followed with the next-biggest vote share at 27 percent. The others were far behind, with Maria Espinoza taking about 6 percent, then came Kyle Preston at 3 percent, Jim Noteware at 2 percent and Laique Rehman at less than 1 percent.

In a statement, Hunt said he was already gearing up for battle with Fletcher.

“I am humbled by the support I have received from Houstonians and people across Texas,” said Hunt, . “We have incredible grassroots energy … That is how a political outsider who started the race completely unknown ended up with over 50 percent in a six-way race, and that is how we are going to beat Lizzie Fletcher in November.”

The seat is one that Republicans and Democrats alike are keenly focused on after Fletcher flipped the suburban west Houston district seat in 2018, beating nine-term Republican incumbent John Culberson by five points. Until then, Republicans had controlled the seat since George H.W. Bush first won it in 1966.

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The district runs from Houston's affluent west side out to the Harris County suburbs, covering the Energy Corridor and stretching north to Cypress.

It’s one of about a half-dozen districts that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is targeting in Texas. Others include the open seat in neighboring District 22, where retiring Rep. Pete Olson won very narrowly in 2018 by just five points over Democrat Sri Preston Kulkarni.

Fletcher, a Houston energy lawyer, and Hunt have been building up a massive war chest to prepare for what’s likely to be a challenging general election, raising nearly $2.5 million and nearly $2 million respectively. Siegel has raised more than $600,000.

Fletcher, while greeting voters at the West Gray Multiservice Center on Tuesday, said she’s ready.

“I think whoever emerges from the Republican primary is going to run a good campaign and they’re going to have a lot of resources, and they’re going to have their own energy,” Fletcher said, “and I’m really looking forward to having a conversation with whoever prevails on the issues and the things that matter in this community.”

National Republican Congressional Committee Chair Tom Emmer in a statement issued around 1 a.m. Tuesday applauded Hunt on his win.

“Wesley’s record of service will provide a sharp contrast to Lizzie Fletcher’s record of selling Texans out to Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats’ socialist agenda,” Emmer said. “Republicans will flip this seat in November.”