The only Webster County race that will require a party primary runoff will be that for sheriff on the Democratic ballot.
David Gore and Casey Henderson will face off in the second primary on Aug. 27 for the open sheriff’s race. None of the three candidates for sheriff in the Aug. 6 Democratic primary earned the more than 50% necessary to avoid a runoff.
Gore led the field on Aug. with 37.58% of the vote, followed by Henderson with 34.75%, according to unofficial final results with affidavits. William “Bill” Bland came in third with 27.5%. Five write-in votes were recorded.
The runoff winner will advance to face Republican nominee Jeffrey Mann and Independent Calvin “Brad” Robinson in the November general election. Mann was the lone Republican candidate.
Supervisor Races
All county supervisors ran again in the Democratic primary and two are assured of another term because they have no general election opponents.
One of the two had no primary opponent either: District 4’s Paul Crowley. The other, District 5’s Doug Burgess, won re-election outright with 68% of the vote against challenger Steven Burton.
Supervisor races in the other three districts will be decided in November because each has a Republic nominee.
In District 1, Supervisor Eudy Morris led a three-man field with nearly 67% of the vote. David Graham was second with 29% followed by Daryl Redd. Morris will face Republican nominee Kevin “Rudy” Ray in November, who garnered 69 of the vote against Barb Mauller.
District 2 had one candidate in each primary and therefore that race will also be decided in November, when Democratic incumbent Pat Cummings will face Republican Matt Brasher.
Supervisor Randy “Poochie” Rico won the primary in District 3 with about 55% of the vote. Fred Wayne Farley was second with about 31%, followed by Michael Lusk with about 13%. Rico will Republican nominee Jason Burney, who ran unopposed, in November.
Other Races
Both Justice Court judges will be going back into office with wins in the Democratic primary and no opponents in November.
Judge Jerry Jones led a three-man field in District 1 with 55% of the vote. Brad Tomlinson was second with 42% and Josh Oats had 3%. Judge Rebecca Ellison carried District 2 with 82% of the vote against challenger Cherraye Oats.
In addition to District 2 supervisor, two other local offices had one candidate in each primary and the winner will be decided in November:
• County Attorney: Hays Burchfield (D) and Henry Ross (R), who was appointed last fall to fill the vacant position.
• Coroner [open seat]: Scott Dean (D) and Dianne Wright (R).
In addition to Supervisor Crowley, local incumbents without primary challengers were Chancery Clerk Russ Turner, Circuit Clerk Sherry B. Henderson, Constable Jeff McMinn (District 1) and Constable Jeremy Kilgore (District 2). All are holding office as Democrats and have no general election opponents.
Thomas E. Allen Jr. will serve as the elected county surveyor, having run opposed in the Republican primary and with no opponent in November.
District Offices
The state legislators whose districts include all or part of Webster County will be returning to office because none face opposition in the general election and the only one with a primary challenger came out on top. All of the incumbents are Republicans.
Rep. Joey Hood of Choctaw County faced Billy Tabb of Eupora for the District 35 House seat in the Republican primary. Hood received over 70% of the vote districtwide and nearly 57% in Webster County.
Unopposed for reelection were District 23 Rep. Jim Beckett of Bruce, District 46 Rep. Karl Oliver of Winona and District 15 Sen. Gary Jackson of French Camp.
John Caldwell of Nesbit and Geoffrey Yoste of Oxford will meet in a runoff election for the Republican nomination for Northern District transportation commissioner. Districtwide, Caldwell received 33% of the vote and Yoste captured 26% in the five-person Republican primary race.
Trey Bowman of Ackerman carried Webster County with 38% of the vote, followed by Yoste with 25% and Caldwell with 22%. The other Republican candidates were E.A. Hathcock and Jeremy Martin.
Caldwell is a former DeSoto County supervisor, and Yoste is a defense contractor and a retired officer in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The runoff winner will face Democrat Joey Grist of Tupelo, who was unopposed, on Nov. 5 in the race to succeed Republican incumbent Mike Tagert.
Unopposed in the Democratic primaries were District Attorney Doug Evans and Northern District Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley. Each is assured of another term with no opposition in the general election.
State Races
At the state level, Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves led the Republican ticket for governor with about 49% to former Supreme Court Justice Bill Waller’s 33%. With no candidate getting a majority, they will be in a runoff.
Reeves carried Webster County with 56% of the vote. Attorney General Jim Hood vanquished seven candidates in the Democratic primary and received 71% of the vote here.
Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann won the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor against Shane Quick of Lake Cormorant and handily carried Webster County. Hosemann will face state Rep. Jay Hughes of Oxford, who was unopposed in the Democratic primary, in November.
In the race for attorney general, Treasurer Lynn Fitch led the field but will face attorney Andy Taggart in the Republican runoff. Fitch carried Webster County with 51% of the vote. The Republican nominee will face Democrat Jennifer Riley-Collins in the November general election.
These nominees were the respective primary winners in other statewide races:
• Secretary of State: Democrat Johnny Dupree, former mayor of Hattiesburg, and Republican state Sen. Michael Watson of Pascagoula.
• Treasurer: Democrat Addie Lee Green of Bolton (unopposed) and Republican David McRae, an investment manager and department store heir from Ridgeland.
• Auditor: No Democratic candidate ran and Republican incumbent Shad White was unopposed.
• Insurance Commissioner: Democrat Robert E. Amos and Republican incumbent Mike Chaney (both unopposed).
• Agriculture Commissioner: Democrat Rickey Cole and Republican incumbent Andy Gipson (both unopposed.
Absentee Voting
The primaries had a voter turnout of 55.81% in Webster County.
The circuit clerk’s office at the courthouse in Walthall will be open from 8 a.m.-noon the next two Saturdays, Aug. 17 and 24, for absentee voting.
A person must vote in the same primary on Aug. 27 as they did on Aug. 6, or may vote in either if they did not vote at all in the first primary and met the July 29 voter registration deadline for the primary runoff election.
Editor’s Note: A summary report of the Webster County primary election can be viewed online at www.redhillsmsnews.com/news or follow the link posted Aug. 7 on the newspaper’s Facebook page.
