Commercial pilot Todd Lally won the GOP nomination on Tuesday and will face Rep. John Yarmuth (D) for the 3rd district seat this fall, a victory that will only add momentum to the tea party movement in the wake of eye surgeon Rand Paul’s (R) blowout victory in the GOP Senate primary.

Lally’s victory comes as a surprise, as most pundits predicted that restaurant chain owner Jeff Reetz, who was the preferred choice of the national GOP, would emerge from the contest.

Aside from his tea party support, Lally, who previously ran for a state House seat in the late 1990s, was helped by the more than $60,000 of his own money he put into his campaign. Reetz, who was the only candidate in the primary to be named to the National Republican Congressional Committee’s “Young Guns” program, put $100,000 in personal funds into his race.

Meanwhile, in the Lexington-based 6th district, attorney Andy Barr cruised to the GOP nomination over a crowded field that included wealthy former coal executive Mike Templeman.

With 52 percent of precincts reporting, Barr had 65 percent while Templeman was at 10 percent.

Barr will face Rep. Ben Chandler (D) in the general election.