Primary Election Results

Vance

Special to The Mississippi Link,

Hood
Hood

In Hinds County, primary election day got off to a rocky start, as early voters experienced broken machines, polling places opening late and missing names from some of the ballots.

Owens
Owens

“We’ve been dealing with problems all morning,” said Jacquie Amons, chair of the Hinds County Democratic Executive Committee. “It’s disturbing to get to “the day,” and experience this.

Two highly contested primaries Tuesday, didn’t yield any major surprises. On the Democratic side, Jim Hood handily defeated his opponents. At press time, Hood had received 199,467 votes or 69 percent, establishing him as the Democratic nominee for governor of the Magnolia State.

The closest person to Hood in the eight-person race was a virtual unknown, Michael Brown, who at press time had received a little more than 32 thousand votes or 11 percent.

On the Republican ticket, Lt. Governor Tate Reeves held the lead all night and with 99 percent of the precincts reporting landed 189,979 votes or 49 percent. While impressive, not enough to hold off a run off with former Supreme Justice Bill Waller, who ended Election night with a commanding 124,707 votes or 33 percent. “We were out spent 5-1, but we were not outworked,” Waller said.

Frazier
Frazier
Grisham
Grisham

Waller and Reeves will meet again in three weeks to seek the official title of “republican nominee,” for governor of Mississippi.

In the hotly contested Public Service Commissioners race on the Democratic ticket, Jackson City Councilman DeKeither Stamps is headed to a runoff with former public school teacher and community activist Dorothy Benford.

Benford surprised many and surpassed expectations by capturing 34,599 votes or 33 percent. Stamps, in the four-person race that included Deputy Commissioner Ryan Brown, received 41,318 or 40 percent of the vote. “We’ve got to finish this phase in three weeks, and then continue our message of changing Mississippi all the way to November,” Stamps said. “We still have more work to do.

Crudup
Crudup
Fair
Fair

On the Republican side of the Public Service Commissioners race, Brent Bailey who has been the Republican nominee before, handily defeated former state employee Nic Lott. Bailey received 72,504 or 74 percent, while Lott received 24,833 votes or 26 percent. Republicans are working overtime to gain control of this 22-county seat. The district is 55 percent democrat and is comprised of a majority of African Americans.

Vance
Vance
Mason
Mason

In Hinds County, in an eight person Democratic race for sheriff, former top cop in Jackson, Lee Vance emerged as the top vote getter. Vance received 14,440 or 38 percent and the current incumbent sheriff, Victor Mason received 11,877 votes or 32 percent. Mason and Vance will face off in three weeks to secure the title of the Democratic nominee for sheriff. Whomever is the winner then will face a republican and independent challenger in November. If history is repeated, for the last several years whomever wins on the Democratic side usually is victorious in November.

The Hinds County District Attorney’s race became a hot button issue, the last few weeks on the campaign trail. With personal attacks, slander and distortion. Jody Owens, the former head of the Southern Poverty Law Center, was the subject of most of those attacks. “Things got unnecessarily off track,” Owens said.

Even with those public and painful distractions, Owens emerged as the winner in the three person race. Owens received 19, 555 votes or 53 percent. He defeated his other two opponents and will take office as the Hinds County District Attorney in January.

Eddie Fair, the long time Hinds County Tax Collector will continue in that role for another four years. Fair, handily defeated two opponents and captured 66 percent of the vote. He received 24, 777 votes.

Next week, we will give a birds eye view of all of the Hinds County Supervisor races and profile those that are “still running.”

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