Bill Marcy of Meridian says now that he’s the Republican nominee for Mississippi’s 2nd District congressional seat, he’s going to move into the district.

“We’re buying property even as we speak,” Marcy told The Associated Press from a campaign party Tuesday night in Vicksburg. “One way or the other, I’m going to be living in Vicksburg. This is our new adopted home.”

Marcy, 64, is a retired Chicago police officer and now lives more than 100 miles outside the district, which runs through the Delta, over to Jackson and down to Jefferson County.

He defeated teacher Richard Cook, 51, of Byram, on Tuesday after both ran low-budget campaigns. Voter turnout was sparse.

Marcy will face Democratic incumbent Bennie Thompson of Bolton and the Reform Party’s Ashley Norwood of Canton in the November general election.

Marcy has not filed a campaign finance report but said Tuesday he has less than $5,000.

Thompson, who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee, reports more than $2.1 million cash on hand as of mid-May. He has represented the 2nd District since 1993.

Cook ran unsuccessfully against Thompson in 2008.

“Our main goal is to get rid of Bennie, so we’re going to get behind Bill,” Cook said Tuesday night.

The 2nd District is Mississippi’s only majority-black congressional district. Thompson and Marcy are both black.

Complete but unofficial results showed only 7 votes reported Tuesday in Tunica County, 10 in Humphreys County and 18 in Claiborne County. The unofficial returns showed 168 votes in Leflore County.

“We probably could’ve just gotten everybody up here to the courthouse to raise hands,” joked Leflore Circuit Clerk Trey Evans.

Although conservatives, including Cook and Marcy, have criticized Thompson on federal spending and other issues, the National Republican Congressional Committee has not targeted Thompson as a potentially vulnerable incumbent.

Candidates are not required to live in the congressional district where they’re on the ballot, but some voters frown on outsiders running. Marcy says he hopes to have a house built in Vicksburg before the November election. He ran unsuccessfully for a state House seat in Meridian in 2009.

Marcy said he’ll campaign on ending abortion, improving schools and creating jobs in the poor district.