MOUNT VERNON — The Republicans were kept hanging late into the evening as party members gathered at The Alcove Restaurant to see primary results Tuesday night. Several hotly contested races came down to the wire, with one continuing far into the night before all votes were counted.

The field of three candidates for the Knox County Board of Commissioners was a tight race between incumbent Bob Wise and challenger Roger Reed, with Tim Smith consistently trailing all evening, although he remained at a steady 25 percent. The voting ended with Reed topping Wise, 40 to 35 percent, in unofficial final totals.

“It’s been a hard last year, cutting budgets and managing,” Wise said after the figures came in, but added that even though he lost, he still loves Knox County and will continue to work hard to keep everything going strong here.