Driftwood , Texas ( CNN ) -- Texas Gov . Rick Perry won his state 's Republican gubernatorial primary outright on Tuesday , avoiding a potentially costly runoff election against Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison . Hutchison called Perry to concede the race after returns indicated that the governor was cruising toward a resounding victory in the closely-watched primary . `` Now we must unite , '' she said . `` We must win Texas for Republicans . '' Perry 's win ended a yearlong intra-party fight that was billed from the start as a clash of Texas political titans but ended with a whimper as Hutchison struggled to fight a tide of anti-Washington sentiment among conservatives . The governor cast his victory as a warning shot to Washington in the mold of recent GOP wins in the Virginia and New Jersey governor 's races and the Massachusetts special Senate election . `` I think the message is pretty clear , '' Perry told supporters at his election night party near Austin . `` Conservatism has never been stronger than it is today . '' Perry said the message to Washington was simple : `` Quit spending all the money , '' he said . `` Stop trying to take over our lives and our businesses . '' He added : `` Stop messing with Texas ! '' Perry , the longest serving governor in Texas history , is seeking a third full term in Austin . His opponent in the general election will be Democrat Bill White , the former Houston mayor who dispatched six opponents in the Democratic primary . With nearly two-thirds of precincts reporting , Perry maintained a 20-point lead over Hutchison and appeared to be on pace to cross the crucial 50 percent mark needed to avoid a six-week runoff election against the three-term senator , who began her gubernatorial bid as the prohibitive frontrunner but stumbled as Perry 's campaign cast her as a big-spending Washington insider . GOP activist Debra Medina , a conservative with strong support among Tea Party activists , looked to be headed for a third place finish . White , the popular former three-term mayor of Houston , the country 's fourth-largest city , predicted that Perry will try to nationalize the race and tie him to unpopular Democratic agenda items in Washington . `` He 'll run against President Obama , '' White said in an interview . `` That 's probably for his own political career . I think he wants to run for president . I 'm just running for the people of Texas . It should n't be about a party or who 's doing what to whom in Washington . ''
Incumbent Rick Perry defeats Kay Bailey Smith in the gubernatorial GOP primary . Perry will face then - Houston Mayor Bill Richardson in general election . Perry is longest - serving governor in Texas history .