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Photo: Hamilton Matthew Masters

After a fraught primary, U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn has won the Republican nomination for governor of Tennessee. Blackburn will face Memphis Democrat Jerri Green in November’s general election. 

The race demonstrated a fractured state GOP, with the primary vote split among Blackburn, U.S. Rep. John Rose and state Rep. Monty Fritts (R-Kingston). Rose was expected to win some counties in rural Tennessee, running on his farming background and agricultural roots. Fritts — a self-proclaimed white nationalist who wants to ban some religions in the state — collected a piece of the party’s fringe voters.