Rep. Kay Granger beats Chris Putnam in GOP primary for US House District 12

FORT WORTH, Texas - Longtime Republican Congresswoman Kay Granger won her 12th district primary battle over far right challenger Chris Putnum.

Granger has been in Congress for 24 years. This was the first time she faced a viable challenger for her seat, which includes Fort Worth, all of Parker County and part of Wise County. But she still managed to lead Putnam by a 58-42 margin.

Both Granger and Putnam held events for supporters Tuesday night. Granger thanked everyone in the crowd for their support, while Putnam was less upbeat and let his supporters know things were moving slower than they anticipated.

President Trump voiced his support for Granger in Dallas back in December.

“The President and I get along very well because what’s important to me and the work I do in Congress is what’s important to him - that’s keeping us safe,” she said previously.

As the ranking Republican member on the powerful Appropriations Committee, Granger has wrangled billions of dollars in defense contracts for Bell Helicopter and Lockheed Martin. Both companies employ thousands of people in her district.

Putnam had the backing of the ultra-conservative and controversial "Club For Growth". The group opposed Donald Trump during the 2016 Republican Primary and spent $7 million to derail his candidacy. They helped Putnam’s campaign spend $1.5 million on attack ads against Granger.

Lisa Welch won the Democratic primary and will face Granger in the fall.

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