PRIMARY ELECTION RESULTS
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Garner defeats Nobles in sheriff’s race to advance to General Election
Shows and Lott re-elected as county supervisors, while Wise and Williams head for runoff
Goodin outpaced by Burch in Dist. 105 race, but makes runoff
From Staff Reports
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Perry County will have a new top cop in January after incumbent Sheriff Mitch Nobles was defeated in Tuesday’s primary elections. Nobles’ defeat by another veteran officer, Jacob Garner, was one of several big decisions handed down by the Perry County registered voters that turned out to vote.
According to unofficial results, Garner defeated Nobles in a tight 2-man race in Tuesday’s Republican Primary. Garner took a big early lead as the votes from the first several precincts were counted and then held off a late surge by Nobles to win the party’s nomination by a 1,663-to-1,551 margin. Garner will now move on to face Beaumont Chief of Police Jeremy McSwain in the General Election. McSwain is running as an independent.
Nobles was the only county-wide candidate in Perry County to draw challengers. Incumbents Larry Wilson (Chancery Clerk), Christy Mayo (Circuit Clerk), Amy Cochran (Tax Assessor / Collector), David Walley (County Attorney / Prosecutor) and Mike Malone (Coroner) were all unopposed in their re-election bids. Incumbent Post 2 Justice Court Judge Carl Griffin and Post 1 Constable Guy Harvison were also unchallenged this election cycle.
However, county supervisors did draw challengers and only two of the five incumbents secured re-election on Tuesday. Incumbent Dist. 2 Supervisor Kevin Shows fought off a challenge by Joel Garner in the Republican Primary, bringing a contentious battle that saw the two men face off in a court challenge to a close with a 64-to-36 percent margin. Shows claimed 432 votes compared to 246 by Garner to earn his fourth term in office.
Dist. 4 incumbent Richard Lott easily defeated challengers Ammon Herring and James Garner Jr. to win a second term in office. Lott claimed over 66 percent of the votes from Dist. 4 with 477 ballots cast in his favor. Garner pulled 172 votes (24 percent), while Herring earned 69.
Incumbent Dist. 3 Supervisors Tim Wise and current Dist. 5 Supervisor Marc Williams each had four opponents in the Republican Primary, but both advanced to runoff elections later this month. Wise led his ticket with 327 votes, 127 more than his closest challenger, Marvin Edwards Jr., but fell short of the majority needed to win the race outright. Wise and Edwards will meet in the Aug. 29 runoff. Keith Evans claimed 172 votes on Tuesday, while Mitch Kittrell (94) and Charles Jason Mayo (67) rounded out the ticket.
Williams finished second in the voting on Tuesday behind challenger Cody Walters, who narrowly missed an outright win with 49.92 percent of the total vote tally. Unless Walters can pick up enough votes through affidavit ballots or late arriving mailed absentee ballots over the next week, the two will square off in the runoff in three weeks. Walters finished with 297 votes on Tuesday, compared to 137 for Williams. Joseph (Parker Joe) Parker finished third with 77 votes, while Joseph C. Benefield netted 70. Veramay Phenice rounded out the race with 14 votes.
Four of the five seats on the board will be decided by the end of August as there are no Democrat challengers in districts 2-5. However, long-serving Dist. 1 Supervisor Bobby Ray Bolton will face independent candidate Robert Myers in the November General Election.
Incumbent Post 1 Justice Court Judge Tim Odom easily defeated challenger Meka Morrison on Tuesday. Odom claimed 1,420 votes (81 percent), compared to Morrison’s 327 votes, to win re-election.
Curtis R. Gates claimed 76.11 percent of the vote total to win the Democratic nomination for Post 2 Constable over opponent Phillip Penton. Gates will now move on to face Republican Colby Prine in November. Prine was unopposed in his primary.
State and Regional Races
In key state races, the much anticipated General Election matchup of incumbent Gov. Tate Reeves and Democrat Brandon Presley is now officially set. Reeves easily defeated John Witcher and David Grady Hardigree in the Republican primary, claiming 67 percent of the vote in Perry County and 75 percent statewide. Presley, a former mayor of his hometown of Nettleton and current Northern District Public Service Commissioner, was unopposed in the Democratic Primary and will join Independent Gray Gwendolyn in challenging Reeves in November.
In the hottest and most contentious race on the Republican ballot incumbent Lt. Gov. Delbert Hoseman defeated State Sen. Chris McDaniel, of Ellisville, in a 3-person race on Tuesday. McDaniel narrowly won Perry County with 1,529 votes, compared to Hosemann’s 1,438, but Hosemann made up for it elsewhere to claim 51.6 percent of the vote statewide. Hosemann will now turn his attention to a November General Election matchup against D. Ryan Grover of Hattiesburg, who was unopposed in the Democratic Primary.
Incumbent Dale Goodin, of New Augusta, is headed for a runoff in his bid to keep the Dist. 105 seat in the Mississippi House of Representatives. Greene County attorney Elliot Burch led the 3-man ticket in the Republican Primary. Burch easily claimed Greene and George County precincts, while Goodin was the high vote-getter in Perry County. Burch claimed a 2,922-to-1,882 margin over Goodin, while Brewertown resident and businessman Matt Brewer finishing in third place with 1,519 votes district wide. The winner of the runoff will move on to face Democrat Matthew Daves in November. Dist. 105 encompasses the majority of Perry and Greene counties, along with the Rocky Creek and Shipman precincts in George County.
Incumbent Southern District Public Service Commissioner Dane Maxwell was defeated in his re-election bid by Nelson Wayne Carr in the Republican Primary. Carr claimed 56 percent of the vote in Perry County (1,642-to-1,278 over Maxwell) and 54 percent of the vote district wide.
Four Democrats have lined up to challenge former State Senator and current Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson. Robert Bradford claimed the Democratic Party nomination outright over Terry Rogers II, Robert Briggs and Bethany Hill to earn the right to face Gipson in the November general election.
Incumbent State Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney easily defeated Mitch Young in the Republican Primary and moves on to face Democrat Bruce Burton in the General Election.
For the open seat of Southern District Transportation commissioner, Republican state Rep. Charles Busby will face independent Steven Brian Griffin in November.
Republican Dist. 86 State Representative Shane Barnett will face Democratic challenger Annita Bonner in November.
Several other statewide races will be decided in November’s General Election. Democrat Greta Martin, an attorney from Jackson, is challenging Republican incumbent Attorney General Lynn Fitch; Democrat Shuwaski Young will face Republican incumbent Secretary of State Michael Watson; Democrat Addie Green will challenge Republican incumbent David McRae for the office of State Treasurer; Democrat Larry Bradford is challenging Republican incumbent Shad White for the office of State Auditor.
District Attorney Lin Carter was unchallenged in his re-election bid in the 12th Judicial District, which includes Perry County.
Likewise, Dist. 45 State Senator Chris Johnson will maintain his position after drawing no challengers.
Registered voters in the county, who voted in the Republican Primary on Tuesday, or did not vote in either primary, are eligible to vote in the Aug. 29 Republican Primary Runoffs.
