In hotly contested races, Circuit Court Judge Jim Kitchens was re-elected Tuesday and Lee S. Coleman and Nebra Porter now face each other in a run-off election for a new judge position.
Although the numbers will not be finalized until later today, Kitchens, the Place 1 incumbent, took 57.2 percent of the vote, or 20,249 votes. His challenger, William Starks, took 42.8 percent of the vote, or 15,146 votes.
“That”s very humbling, that folks in this district trust me enough, by that margin, to do my job,” said Kitchens, who will be sworn in again Jan. 2.
Starks did not rule out challenging Kitchens again, saying it was “too early to make a decision.” He also thanked supporters and offered congratulations to Kitchens.
“We should keep fighting for the causes we believe in and not get discouraged,” he said of the loss.
In the heated Place 3 circuit court judge race, Porter, with 11,235 votes, or 31.6 percent of the vote, beat out Bob Marshall, who had 28.8 percent of the vote with 10,250 votes.
Porter will go up against Coleman, who had 39.5 percent of the vote with 14,054 votes, in a run-off election Nov. 23.
Breaking the election down by county, Lowndes County, which had the highest turnout, was a strong win for both Coleman and Kitchens.
In Lowndes County, Kitchens won 57.7 percent, or 9,298 votes, beating out Starks, who won 42.3 percent, or 6,825 votes.
With 43.5 percent of the vote, or 6,685 votes, Coleman heftily beat Marshal, who had 27 percent with 4,154 votes, and Porter, who had 29.5 percent with 4,541 votes.
In Oktibbeha, Kitchens landed 52.7 percent, or 5,204 votes, while Starks received 47.1 percent, or 4,661 votes.
Meanwhile, Coleman took 39.2 percent, or 3,759 votes, Marshall took 32.6 percent, or 3,121 votes, and Porter took 28 percent, or 2,678 votes.
In Clay County, Kitchens garnered 4,001 votes, a sweeping 61.2 percent, over Starks” 2,529, or 38.7 percent.
The place three race was tighter in Clay County, where Marshall took 35 percent, or 2,625 votes. Porter earned the second most votes at 2,446, or 32.7 percent, leaving Coleman to bring up the rear with 2,413 votes, or 32.2 percent.
Kitchens won handily in Noxubee County, taking 60.6 percent, or 1,746 votes. Starks took 1,131 votes, or 39.3 percent.
Porter solidly won Noxubee, taking 1,570 votes, or 50.3 percent. Coleman won 1,197 votes, or 38.4 percent while Marshall won only 350 votes, or 11.2 percent.
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