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Campbell Delivers Decisive Win In Senate District 25 Primary

Tea party darling Dr. Donna Campbell has all but clinched her Senate District 25 seat again. She squashed fellow Republicans Elisa Chan and Mike Novak in the primary with 55 percent of the vote and now she'll face Democratic nominee Daniel Boone in the November general election.

Despite her comfortable lead all evening, Campbell waited to make her win official until about 11 p.m. Tuesday. She thanked God and her many conservative supporters, but maintained her biggest endorsements came from regular people.

"They want an elected official that they feel is most closely aligned to their values," she said at her watch party in New Braunfels.

But it wasn't all politics at the Campbell camp. The doctor was called for an emergency when Guadalupe County Republican Chair Jan Koehne fell face first on the asphalt outside. A small crowd gathered to watch and lent their coats to keep Koehne warm.

"I'm blessed to be a doctor and anytime I can help, I will," said Campbell following the ordeal.

Credit Ryan Loyd / TPR News
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TPR News
Donna Campbell helps take care of Guadalupe County Republican Chair Jan Koehne, who fell outside her watch party.

Also on Tuesday night, emergency responders showed up to Mike Novak's party at Stonewerks in San Antonio. The restaurant kept dealing with a faulty fire alarm, eventually getting the fire department to show up.

There was no fire, and Novak's primary numbers were pretty chilly -- 20.3 percent of the vote --compared to Campbell. The former Bexar County commissioner finished last, but said he's got plenty of work to do elsewhere.

"I've been mentoring my sons and their businesses, that's a big part of it," Novak said. "So Mike Novak has plenty to do. I didn't wake up one day and say, 'You know what I think I'll be a State Senator.' I decided to run for a reason because I think I could make a big difference."

Finally, with no fire trucks or EMS units in sight, former San Antonio City District 9 Councilwoman Elisa Chan said she would enjoy the evening no matter how it ended. She remained at arm's length to Campbell and finished in second place with 24.3 percent of the vote.

She hoped for a runoff but said she will now focus on her business and may be back in front of voters at some point soon.

"I have a passion for public service," Chan said. "I came to this country with nothing and I think people of this community has really helped me to build a successful business, and I owe to everybody what I have today, and I really want to help others."

Campbell will go to the November election encouraged by her strong primary election numbers. The votes proved that Campbell, who beat moderate Jeff Wentworth two years ago, may be around to stay longer than some had thought.

Ryan Loyd was Texas Public Radio's city beat and political reporter. He left the organization in December, 2014.