Karen Petree (right) defeated Kelvin Williams by about 120 votes, 55 percent to 45.

Karen Petree won a hard-fought race Tuesday to become the McLennan County Democratic Party chair, defeating Kelvin Williams with 54.5 percent of the vote.

The race was to some degree a referendum on U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, with Williams voicing the frustration of some local Democrats upset with Edwards for his vocal opposition to Democratic health insurance reform legislation. Petree got her start in politics working for Edwards.

Petree said she would work to unite the local party.

“We’re going to use the state convention to bridge any gap that may have formed during this race,” Petree said.

She said she wants to make sure Democrats have the shared goal of running strong campaigns in November.

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