JoAnn Favors celebrates her victory in the race for state representative in House District 28 on Thursday, August 2, 2012, in Chattanooga, Tenn.One thing is certain after Thursday night’s election — Rep. Tommie Brown won’t be returning to the state House in January.
JoAnne Favors carried Thursday night’s election with 72.2 percent of the vote in a newly drawn district that pitted two black Democratic stalwarts against one another in a bruising primary.
Brown, 78, defended a seat she’s held since 1992, earning 27.6 percent of the vote. Favors, 69, who was elected to sister House District 29 in 2004, made the difficult decision to challenge her after being drawn into District 28 earlier this year.
“It’s just an awesome endorsement by such an inter-generational group — young, elderly, middle aged,” Favors said.
Vote totals remain unofficial even with 100 percent of precincts reporting.