Lane Taylor, a businessman and auctioneer from Philadelphia has won the District 18 Special Election for the unexpired term of the honorable Justice Jenifer Branning.
Branning, of Philadelphia, won the Supreme Court election in a runoff against former Supreme Court Justice Jim Kitchens.
Taylor came out of a five man race that include Mark Forsman of Noxapater, Lindsey Kidd of Philadelphia, Marty Sistrunk of Neshoba County and Jackson “Ike” Melton of Leake County.
The election results are still unofficial at press time but, because of Taylor’s gap on his other competitors, it’s safe to say the position is his.
In Winston County, Mark Forsman won his home county with 405 votes, Taylor received 277, Lindsey Kidd received 87, Jackson “Ike” Melton received nine and Marty Sistrunk received seven. There were 765 votes cast and there were no write-ins.
Taylor, won his home county beating out Kidd and Sistrunk, Neshoba, by a landslide. According to Refuge 107.1 and the Neshoba County Democrat, Taylor won with 2,023 votes. Forsman followed with 635, Kidd received 385, Melton received 86 and Sistrunk received 86.
In Leake County, the home county of Melton, Taylor won the county with 711 votes, Forsman received 339, Kidd received 125, Melton received 113, and Sistrunk received nine. There were 1,300 votes cast in Leake County and three write ins.
Vicktorea Pace with the Leake County Circuit Clerk’s office said there were a few affidavits left, but it wouldn’t change the outcome of the results in Leake.
