(CNN) Voters in New Hampshire's 1st Congressional District will make history in November, when they will either elect the state's first openly gay or first African-American congressman.

Democrats chose gay politician Chris Pappas on Tuesday out of a crowded field of candidates to be their nominee in a district that regularly swings between the two parties and backed President Donald Trump in 2016.

On the Republican side of the ballot, Eddie Edwards, a black former police chief in South Hampton, New Hampshire, and a Navy veteran, emerged victorious. Edwards got a bump from former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who campaigned with him this year.

The race for the Democratic nomination pit Pappas, a longtime politician, against veteran Maura Sullivan in a debate over who has deep enough roots to represent the district in southern New Hampshire. Sullivan conceded the race Tuesday night and threw her support behind Pappas.

The 11-candidate contest to replace the retiring Democratic Rep. Carol Shea-Porter also featured a bid by Levi Sanders, the son of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. The elder Sanders sat out the race and did not endorse his son.

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