Lee Coleman has been re-elected to a second term in office as Circuit Court Judge.
Coleman, 65, triumphed over opponent Monique Montgomery, 48, with 18,791 votes to 12,043 votes for the District 16, Place 3 seat, according to unofficial results.
Coleman received 8,783 votes in Lowndes County over Montgomery’s 4,980. In Clay County, Coleman secured 3,573 votes to Montgomery’s 2,602. In Oktibbeha County, Coleman led with 5,424 votes to Montgomery’s 2,811. In Noxubee County, Montgomery received 1,650 votes to Coleman’s 1,011. The results do not include affadavits.
Reached Tuesday night via telephone, Coleman, who said he spent most of Tuesday campaigning in eastern Lowndes County, was at his West Point home watching results come in. Coleman said he was “feeling very good” and “relieved” by the win.
“I’m extremely grateful to the people for re-electing me and I’ll do my best as circuit judge,” he said.
Coleman was first elected to the bench in 2010. In prior interviews with The Dispatch, Coleman cited his 36 years in the legal profession and said he felt he was the most qualified candidate for the job. In an interview with The Dispatch last week, Montgomery said she was running because she did not feel judges were handing down fair decisions. She said she felt the judgments were based on race.
Montgomery could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
The four-year term begins Jan. 1.
The position pays approximately $120,000 annually.
Sarah Fowler covered crime, education and community related events for The Dispatch.
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Monique Montgomery, left, and Lee Coleman
