Atmore native Dave Dennis was second Tuesday night in the GOP primary for Mississippi governor.

But Dennis, who garnered 26 percent of the vote, fell short of a runoff as Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant won the nomination outright. He will now face either Johnny Dupree or Bill Luckett in the general election in November.

Dennis, a graduate of Escambia County High School, has been a business and civic leader in coastal Mississippi for more than 30 years. His run for governor was his first attempt to run for public office.

As president of Specialty Contractors and Associates, a commercial and industrial subcontractor, he has been involved with more than 6,000 building projects. He also has served as a representative from the business community on the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve; president of the Gulf Coast Economic Council; state chairman of the Business and Industry Political Education Committee; and a member of the Commission on Recovery, Rebuilding and Renewal following Hurricane Katrina.