AUSTIN, Texas -- Gov. Rick Perry says his main opponent's concession speech is a victory for conservatives.

Speaking at his election night party in Driftwood after U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison conceded, Perry said he would unite a fractured Republican Party in the November general election.

In his victory speech, Perry kept with the anti-Washington, D.C. campaign that he waged against Hutchison.

"From Driftwood,Texas, to Washington, D.C. we are sending you a message tonight: Stop messing with Texas!" Perry said.

Perry, Texas' longest-serving governor, had 51.3 percent of the vote compared to Hutchinson's 31 percent, with nearly half of precincts reporting. GOP party activist Debra Medina, a favorite among many tea party voters, had about 18 percent.

Perry is seeking his third full term as governor. He will face Democratic nominee and former Houston Mayor Bill White in the general election.