Forrest and Lamar county voters supported the statewide Primary Election choices, picking former Vice President Joe Biden over U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders for Democratic presidential delegates and sending former U.S. Rep. Mike Espy – a Democrat – into the November General Election against Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith.
Republican Steven Palazzo of District 4 cruised back to Congress after defeating three opponents in the Primary Election on Tuesday. He has no opposition in the General Election.
The Forrest County votes are unofficial until affidavit ballots are counted today by Circuit Clerk Gwen Wilks’ office, while Lamar County Circuit Clerk Martin Hankins will also be verifying affidavit ballots today. Both circuit clerks said the turnout for the Primary Election was light.
Palazzo had the clear advantage over three opponents, capturing 68.59 percent of the Forrest County vote and 69.26 percent in Lamar County. Opposing Palazzo in the Republican Primary were Carl Boyanton, Robert L. Deming III, and Samuel Hickman.
House District 3’s Michael Guest captured the Primary votes to send him into the General Election against Democrat Dorothy "Dot" Benford of Jackson. Democrat Bennie Thompson of District 2 will take on one of three Republicans in the General Election. The Primary Election did not have a clear winner among the GOP candidates in early voting: retired Realtor Thomas Carey, soybean farmer Brian Flowers, and U.S. Navy veteran B.C. Hammond.
House District 1 incumbent Republican Rep. Trent Kelly will face Democrat Antonia Eliason, an Ole Miss law professor, in the November General Election.
Biden led the Forrest County Democratic voters with 74.01 percent (4,846) of the 6,548 total votes. Second was Sanders with 21.04 percent (1,378). Following behind were Michael Bloomberg with 182 votes, Elizabeth Warren with 57, Tulsi Gabbard with 22, and Pete Buttigieg and Andrew Yang with 11 apiece. All other candidates were in single digits.
In Lamar County, Biden led with 74.35 percent (2,469) to Sanders with 698 for 21.02 percent. Bloomberg was third with 78 votes, followed by Warren (19), Gabbard (18), and Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar with 11 each.
On the GOP side, incumbent President Donald Trump rolled over three opponents with 96.67 percent of the Forrest County vote and 97.73 percent in Lamar County.
In Covington County, all but one candidate demolished their opponent in a landslide Tuesday night as voters picked Biden over Sanders for the Democratic presidential delegates, and they helped send Espy into the November General Election against Hyde-Smith.
Republican Rep. Michael Guest of District 3 trounced James Tulp 1,870-257 votes for an 87.88 percent victory over Tulp’s 12.08 percent.
All results from Covington County are complete, but unofficial.
In the Democratic Primary race for president in Covington County, Biden swamped the contenders by pulling in 85.12 percent (1,522 votes) to lead the field. Sanders followed with 184 votes, Michael Bloomberg had 52, and no other Democrat managed double figures.
Espy collected 92.45 percent of the Democratic Primary vote to blow past Tobey Barnard Bartee (4.49 percent) and Jenson Boren (2.95 percent).
The most lopsided race involving opposition for Covington County was the support for incumbent President Donald Trump, who rolled over two opponents with 98.95 percent of the county vote. Trump had 2,160 votes to 13 for Bill Weld and “Rocky” De La Fuente’s 7.
In Jones County, unofficial results show that Biden received 83 percent of support from a light turnout. The former vice president received 3,560 votes, while the second and third place finishers for president on the Democratic side were Sanders (552) and Michael Bloombery (106). Espy grabbed 91 percent of the Democratic support in Jones County in the U.S. Senate race.
President Trump easily won the support of Jones Countians, taking 99 percent of the vote. Fellow Republican Steven Palazzo (5,698) received 65 percent of the vote in the 4th Congressional District race, outdistancing Robert L. Deming III (1,494), Samuel Hickman (578) and Carl Boyanton (935).