U.S. Rep. Barry Moore, running a campaign heavy on national issues and boosted by a strong showing of his Wiregrass supporters, was declared the winner of a tight race for the Republican nomination in the heavily conservative 1st congressional district.

Moore, 57, defeated Mobile Republican U.S. Rep. Jerry Carl by approximately 3,600 votes, according to unofficial results on the Alabama Secretary of State’s website. He won won with a whopping amount of support in the rural counties that make up parts of hits 2nd congressional district, but which were added into the 1st district after a court-ordered redistricting in early October. Moore’s backing included 76% support in Covington County, 77% in Houston County, and 83% in Coffee.

The Associated Press called the race for Moore shortly before 11 p.m. Tuesday.

“It was good to be on the ground to let people know who we are and our conservative leanings,” said Moore, who provided comments while in Washington, D.C. “In our district, those folks showed up and they hit 80 percent. It’s proof of what we’ve been doing. People will love the results and appreciate our effort and our hard work.”

Carl, 65, a former member of the Mobile County Commission, polled strong in the counties he’s represented in the 1st district — Mobile, Baldwin and Escambia counties. But turnout in the two big coastal counties of Mobile and Baldwin counties was weak by comparison with more rural areas of the district.

“We came up a little bit short,” Carl told a group of disappointed supporters at a campaign gathering at a golf course in Daphne.

Carl congratulated Moore, saying he would help him in the general election. Moore will face Democratic opponent Tom Holmes during the Nov. 5 general election.

“It’s been tireless between all of the elected officials and those working on the ground and donating so much money … we gave it a good run,” Carl said.

Moore, in a statement sent out to the media and his supporters, said “I am grateful to God, my family, the voters, my staff and the many dedicated volunteers and supporters who made tonight possible. I am excited about getting to work for the people of Alabama’s First District. My wife Heather and I spent thousands of hours traveling the new district and getting to know the wonderful people who are fighting for the same things we are — small government, our constitutional freedoms, fiscal responsibility and a secure border. The First District can count on me to hold the line and be their true conservative voice in Washington.”

Moore’s 2nd district was redrawn to give Black voters an opportunity to select a candidate of their choosing, and that district — which includes much of Mobile and Montgomery — is viewed as favorable to a Democratic candidate.

The result of the court-ordered redistricting was a 1st district that is among the most conservative congressional districts in the U.S. House. The 1st district, after it was redrawn to include Baldwin and parts of Mobile County with the Wiregrass, represents a whopping +28 advantage for Republicans, tied for the sixth-most Republican leaning district in the country.

Moore entered the race in November, and immediately began touting his conservative bona fides including high scores by groups like CPAC and Heritage Action. Moore is also a member of the right-wing Freedom Caucus.

The race was underscored by bitter campaigning featuring mostly negative attack ads funded by political action committees. More than $1.5 million in negative ads were paid for by super PACs against Moore, while $876,000 were funded against Carl, according to a tally by the website Open Secrets.

The candidates blasted the involvement of the outside groups, attempting to link their political donors to organizations viewed as critical to former President Donald Trump’s agenda.

Carl’s campaign was critical of the involvement of the School Freedom Fund PAC, which is aligned to the Club for Growth — a conservative organization that directly opposed Carl’s candidacy in 2020. The Carl camp called the Club for Growth the “original Never Trumper group,” though Club officials said they have since made amends with the former president.

Carl’s own campaign paid for negative campaign ads against Moore, a sign that one political observer believes was indicative of problems for the Mobile Republican.

Jon Gray, a spokesman for a super PAC that supported Moore’s campaign, said the negative campaigning loomed over Carl’s campaign approach.

“For the last four weeks, Jerry Carl ran a negative campaign,” said Gray. “The conservative nature of the district mad it, I think, impossible from Day 1 for Jerry to win. There wasn’t much enthusiasm (for Carl) and it speaks a lot of the campaign when you can’t turn out the votes in your own county. In the Wiregrass area, Moore was overwhelmingly engaged with his voters there and they clearly showed up for him.”

Carl ran a campaign relying heavily on TV and radio ads and heavily outspent his opponent. Moore’s campaign strategy included more on-the-ground activity that included hosting political rallies with conservative celebrity politicians like Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee; and Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.

The primary capped a rare incumbent versus incumbent squabble for a congressional seat. It is the first time since the wild 1962 “9/8 Election” that two congressional incumbents from Alabama squared off. In that race, the entire nine-member U.S. House delegation from Alabama competed in a statewide at-large contest for eight congressional seats. At the time, a redistricting plan left the state’s congressional districts in limbo.

More than 61 years later, and it was similar story after a three-judge federal panel approved Alabama’s new congressional map in October. The new map altered the boundaries of the 1st and 2nd districts, held by Carl and Moore respectively. Moore, an Enterprise resident, had his hometown moved into Carl’s 1st district.