Andy Boyd didn’t want to believe he had won.
His opponent in the District 37 state representative special election, David Chism, had already conceded. Still, Boyd wanted to see all the numbers before declaring victory.
It took Circuit Clerk Teresa Barksdale coming out into the hallway on the second floor of the Lowndes County Courthouse and telling him it wasn’t mathematically possible for him to lose before Boyd believed he’d won a seat in Jackson.
Boyd defeated Chism by a 4,324 (57.5 percent) to 3,199 (42.5 percent) margin. He will fill the unexpired term of Lynn Wright, who passed away in June. The district is mostly in Lowndes County but includes parts of Clay and Oktibbeha.
“Until April I never considered running for public office,” Boyd told The Dispatch. “After much prayer and consultation, a sermon at my church, Fairview Baptist, gave me confirmation I should walk this path. Without a doubt I know the Lord Jesus told me to run for office.”
While Chism carried both Clay and Oktibbeha counties, it wasn’t enough to overcome the 1,359-vote lead Boyd built in Lowndes County, where both candidates reside.
“(Boyd) spent his entire life here, and his entire life being a really good person,” Chism said. “Because of that he’s made a lot of friends, and that’s not something that’s easy to overcome. I look forward to hearing what he has to say about the important issues in Mississippi.”
Boyd is a retired former director of the Frank P. Phillips YMCA. Chism owns Greenaway Pool.
“I had countless supporters and many helpers encouraging me behind the scenes, but I am most grateful for my wife, Sherry, who is my biggest supporter,” Boyd said. “I look forward to getting to studying the issues and getting to work in Jackson.”
Some affidavits remain to be processed today and Thursday in the three-county area. They won’t be enough to alter the outcome.
Circuit judge, Place 1
Incumbent Jim Kitchens easily won re-election over challenger Chuck Easley in the 16th Circuit, Place 1 judge’s race.
By the end of the night, Kitchens defeated Easley by a tally of 20,359 (62.4 percent) to 12,257 (37.6 percent).
Kitchens carried all four counties in the 16th circuit — Lowndes, Oktibbeha, Clay and Noxubee — winning both candidates’ home county of Lowndes by more than 4,000 votes. The race was closest in Noxubee County, where Kitchens won 1,542 to 1,268.
“I am honored that the people of this district have trusted me again to do this job,” Kitchens, who took in the election results at the Oktibbeha County Circuit Courthouse, told The Dispatch on Tuesday night. “I promise I’ll work hard for them and I won’t let them down.”
Easley did not return calls and messages from The Dispatch by press time.
Kitchens was first elected to the court in 2003.
Circuit judge, Place 3
Michelle Easterling and Trina Davidson Brooks are headed to a runoff in the Place 3 circuit judge race.
Easterling, the Clay County prosecutor, cruised to a first-place finish in the four-person race, tallying 12,887 votes (38.8 percent). But it was still well short of the 50 percent needed to avoid a Nov. 29 runoff.
Brooks, an assistant district attorney, garnered 8,365 votes (25.2 percent) in the four-county circuit, while Mark Cliett earned 6,259 (18.8 percent) and Bennie Jones Jr. tallied 5,729 (17.2 percent).
Easterling carried a tight race in Clay County, where all four candidates hail, and easily carried both Lowndes and Oktibbeha counties. She placed third in Noxubee, behind Brooks and Jones.
“I am so very grateful to the voters of Clay, Lowndes, Noxubee and Oktibbeha counties for showing their support of me in yesterday’s Circuit judge Place 3 race,” Easterling said in a prepared statement. “I have been blessed with many volunteers who have worked tirelessly with me over the last 11 months. I know many of the voters were supporting other candidates, but I ask that they now join with me. I want to serve all of the residents of these four counties, regardless of who they may have supported in the first round. Though I’ve said it before, it bears repeating: we all want the same thing – for our families to be safe at work, school and church, and for a dedicated and impartial judge who will uphold and apply the law fairly and consistently.”
Brooks extended her thanks to her supporters who called her to encourage her, but she said she intends to hit the ground running for the next three weeks to canvas and reach people she might not have gotten to the first time around.
“I’m very glad I made it to the runoff, but I’m going to stay the path I’ve been doing,” Brooks said. “I’m going to continue to reach as many voters as I can, and hopefully win that race. I’m very grateful to be in the runoff, and I think we have more work that we need to do as far as getting voters to come out and vote.”
While there are close to 600 affidavits still to be processed in the race, they aren’t enough to change the outcome.
Oktibbeha County Court judge
Lee Ann Turner secured a spot in a Nov. 29 runoff for Oktibbeha County Court judge, placing first Tuesday in a three-candidate field.
She’s taken 4,496 votes (44.8 percent) so far in the race, while Charles Bruce Brown sits at 2,858 (28.4 percent) and Marty Haug has 2,668 (26.6 percent).
The county court, which will hear all youth cases and operate as an intermediate court between municipal/justice and circuit courts, was established based on Oktibbeha County’s population reaching 50,000 in the 2020 census.
“I’m very honored and humbled by the support and the people getting out and voting for me,” Turner told The Dispatch. “(The next three weeks) will be a lot more work, meeting as many people as I can and sharing my vision for a successful county court.”
Who Turner will face in the runoff is still unclear. There are 306 affidavit ballots left to process in the race, according to Circuit Clerk Tony Rook, enough for Haug to overcome Brown’s 190-vote advantage for second place.
“I’m certainly disappointed with where the votes are now,” Haug told The Dispatch this morning. “I thank all my supporters for believing in me and what I’m trying to do. I still believe it is important that county court is not a one-dimensional court with a one-dimensional judge. It is meant to be more than that.”
The Dispatch could not reach Brown for comment, despite multiple attempts.
Lifestyles Editor Robert Scott contributed to this report.
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