Although they collectively polled more than 108,000 votes in the Alabama Republican gubernatorial primary, a pair of Christians conservatives hoping to unseat incumbent Kay Ivey still ran far behind the governor.

Ivey, who replaced a scandal-plagued former governor last year, drew 56 percent of the vote to avoid a runoff. In his first-ever political campaign, evangelist Scott Dawson finished third with 13 percent of the vote. Businessman Bill Hightower, a state senator since 2013, only attracted 5 percent in finishing fourth.

That a newcomer to politics was able to tally nearly three times the vote of a sitting legislator may have been due to backing from several well-known figures. They included Hobby Lobby founder David Green, who gave Dawson his single largest donation ($120,000).

After conceding defeat, Dawson endorsed Ivey, who faces Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox in November. In an interview with the Hoover Sun, Dawson said he never wanted to become a politician, but was being obedient to what God called him to do.

“Hopefully, I challenged and inspired others,” the evangelist said. “If that’s the case, I’m fine with that.”