A Democratic Senate runoff will be in two weeks between state Rep. David Baria of Bay St. Louis and Howard Sherman of Lauderdale County.
Six Democrats ran for the U.S. Senate seat in the June 5 party primaries, and Baria and Sherman will face off for the nomination on June 26 because no one received more than 50 percent of the vote. Sherman’s lead was 32 percent over Baria’s 31 percent statewide.
Rep Omeria Scott of Laurel, who finished third statewide, came in first in Winston County with 321 votes or 42 percent. Sherman came in second in Winston County with 27 percent of the vote. Baria came in third locally with 13 percent of the vote.
Baria is an attorney and served one state Senate term before being elected in 2011 to the Mississippi House of Representatives, where he’s now the minority leader. Sherman, a venture capitalist from California, is the husband of actress Sela Ward, a Meridian native.
Only those who voted in the Democratic Party's primary or registered voters who did not vote at all will be able to vote in the runoff election from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. June 26. Circuit clerks’ offices will be open the next two Saturdays for absentee voting from 8 a.m.-noon. Mississippi allows absentee voting if the person will be out of the county on election day including military personnel and for anyone 65 or older as well as any person with a temporary or permanent physical disability.
“It is critical for our country that people take an interest in voting for our leaders of this great nation,” said Winston County Circuit Clerk Kim Ming as she encouraged persons to vote in the runoff and the November General Election.
The runoff winner will face Republican incumbent Roger Wicker of Tupelo in the November general election. Wicker defeated business owner Richard Boyanton of Diamondhead in the Republican primary with 80 percent of the vote. Wicker carried Winston County with 90 percent of votes cast.
Also running in November are the Reform Party’s Shawn O’Hara of Hattiesburg and Libertarian Danny Bedwell of Columbus.
Republican U.S. Rep. Trent Kelly will face Democrat Randy Mack Wadkins of Oxford for the 1st District congressional seat in the general election. Both were unopposed in their respective primaries.
The November General Election will also include on the ballot Chancery Judge posts and Louisville Municipal School Board position.
Unofficial final results, which include absentee and affidavit ballots, showed 1,813 of Winston County’s 12,054 registered voters cast ballots in the primaries, representing a turnout of 15.04 percent.
“Sad, we do not have high enough interest in our state and county to vote in these very decisive elections,” said Circuit Clerk Ming.
