NASHVILLE - Republican Chattanooga attorney Chuck Fleischmann has won the 3rd District congressional seat.

With 88 percent of precincts reporting Tuesday night in the 11-county district, Fleischmann had 57 percent of the vote, to attorney John Wolfe's nearly 28 percent.

Fleischmann ran for the seat vacated by Republican Zach Wamp who ran for governor. He was favored to win because of his distinct money edge over Wolfe, who has lost 3rd District races before.

Fleischmann was criticized for refusing to attend any forum or debate that meant going face-to-face with Wolfe or a handful of independent candidates on the ballot.

Wolfe bought a radio ad that used a Kenny Rogers hit to describe Fleischmann as a "coward of the county."