KNOXVILLE, TENN. — Betsy Henderson won the Republican primary for Knox County mayor and will face Democrat Beau Hawk in the general election in August in Knoxville, Tenn.

With 30 of 102 precincts reporting, Henderson had secured 44.39% of the vote in the Republican primary. She defeated Kim Frazier and Larsen Jay to claim the Republican nomination. Henderson currently serves as a member of the Knox County school board.

Henderson said her focus as a candidate would be on cutting spending and maintaining low taxes for families. "I will absolutely not raise property taxes. We need to be better stewards of our money," she said.

Henderson described her approach to governing as one centered on setting clear priorities. "If everything is a priority, nothing is a priority," she said.

The primary race included debate among the candidates over the management of Knox County's growth, with differing approaches to taxes, infrastructure and long-term planning.

Hawk, the Democratic nominee, will meet Henderson in the general election scheduled for August. The contest will determine who leads Knox County government following the primary, in which Henderson drew support across the county's 102 precincts.

Henderson's platform centers on fiscal restraint. She has said Knox County residents should not face higher property taxes and that county government must operate within its existing resources. Her background on the Knox County school board informed her position on public spending, she indicated.

The candidates in the Republican primary — Henderson, Frazier and Jay — each presented different visions for how Knox County should manage its growth, including on questions of taxes, infrastructure investment and long-term planning for the region.