Run-offs to determine Hopkins County Precinct 1 and 3 Commissioners
While two county offices were easily determined during the Republican Party Primary Election Tuesday night, with each candidate receiving well over 50% of the votes cast, a runoff will be required to determined two others, according to the unofficial counts released Tuesday.
With no Democratic challengers to face on the General Election Ballot in November, the outcome of these county Republican elections will determine who takes the oath of office in January 2024.
Lewis Tatum will serve another term as Hopkins County Sheriff, and Dennis Findley will become the next Precinct 1 Constable.
Wesley Miller and incumbent Mickey Barker are headed to a runoff for Precinct 1 Commissioner, and Travis Thompson and William “Bill” Holden are in a runoff for Precinct 3 Commissioner.
Sheriff
Tatum received 4,311 of the 5,880 ballots cast by Republicans in the election for Hopkins County Sheriff. Tatum received 2,153 votes cast during early voting, 70 absentee votes and picked up another 2,088 votes on Election Day.
Johnny Paul “JP” Moseley received 24 absentee votes, 593 votes during the early voting period and 952 votes on Election Day. Overall, that put Tatum ahead with 73.32% of the votes to Moseley’s 26.68%.
Constable, Precinct 1
The race for Precinct 1 Constable was a little bit closer, with Findley receiving 1,555 votes to Hill’s 1,066 votes, giving Findley the lead with 59.33% of votes to Hill’s 40.67%.
Findley received 791 votes during early voting, 34 absentee ballots and 730 votes on Election Day. Hill received 491 early votes, 14 absentee votes and 561 votes on Election Day.
Commissioner, Precinct 1
In the election for Precinct 1 County Commissioner, Wesley Miller received a total of 605 votes, incumbent Mickey Barker 567 votes and Steven “Big” Smith 456 votes.
Barker received 306 early votes, 12 absentee votes and received another 249 votes on Election Day, giving the incumbent Place 1 commissioner 34.83% of the total vote.
Challenger Miller received 282 early votes, eight absentee votes and 315 votes on Election Day, giving him 37.16% over the 1,628 votes cast in the Republican Primary for Hopkins County Precinct 1 Commissioner.
Smith received 191 early votes, nine absentee votes, and 254 votes on Election Day, giving him a total of 28.01% of the 1,628 votes cast in the Republican Primary for Hopkins County Precinct 1 Commissioner.
Commissioner, Precinct 3
The Precinct 3 Hopkins County Commissioner office will require a runoff to determine who will receive the Republican nomination and seat.
William “Bill” Holden received 707, Lance Knotts 167 and Travis Thompson 582 votes.
Holden received 375 early votes, 10 absentee votes and 322 votes on Election Day, for a total of 48.56% of votes cast in the election.
Thompson received 253 early votes, six absentee vote and 323 votes on Election Day for a total of 39.997% of votes cast in the Precinct 3 Commissioner race.
Knotts received 87 early votes, four absentee votes and 76 votes on Election Day., for a total of 11.47% of votes cast for Precinct 3 Commissioner.
Other County Offices
There was only one Democrat seeking a county office, that of Hopkins County Democratic Party Chair. Tommy Long received all 404 votes cast, claiming 100% of votes, once again seating him as the Hopkins County Democratic Party Chair. Donnie Wisenbaker was also the only candidate for Hopkins County Republican Chair; receiving all 4,963 votes, Wisenbaker will serve another term as the county Republican Party Chair.
The Hopkins County Republican ballot did include four county offices in which the candidate was without an opponent. With no Democratic challenger, the seats will go to the following Republican candidates: County Attorney — Dustanna Hyde Rabe, incumbent;
County Tax Assessor- Collector — Chasity Campbell; and
Constable, Precinct 2 — John Brian Beadle, incumbent.
Legal and Judicial Offices
Also unopposed were the following Republicans, who had no Democratic challengers,
8th Judicial District Attorney — Will Ramsay;
62nd Judicial District Judge — Will Biard; and
8th Judicial District Judge — Eddie Northcutt, incumbent.
Several additional judicial seats at the state and federal level were Tuesday’s ballots, with party nomination determined in the primary.
Republican Jeff Ramblin was unopposed for Place 2 Justice on the 6th Court of Appeals District.
Republican Jimmy Blacklock will face Democrat DaSean Jones on the November ballot for Place 2 Justice on the Supreme Court. Jones received 59.59% of the votes cast by Democrats, eclipsing Randy Sarosdy’s 40.41%, earning the Democratic Party’s nomination for Place 2 Su- preme Court Justice.
Incumbent John Devine narrowly defeated Brian Walker with 50.44% of the vote for the Republican Party nomination for Place 4 Supreme Court Justice. Devine faces Christine Vinh Weems, the lone Democratic candidate for Place 4 Justice on the Supreme Court, in the November General Election.
Republican David J. Schenck will face Democrat Holly Taylor on the November ballot for the presiding judge on the Court of Criminal Appeals. Schenck received 62.66% of the votes and Sharon Keller 37.34% of the votes, giving Schenck the Republican nomination.
Republican Gina Parker received 66.08% of votes to Barbara Parker Hervey’s 33.92%, giving Parker the party nomination for Place 7 Judge on the Court of Criminal Appeals. Parker will face Democrat Nancy Mulder on the November General Election ballot.
Democrat Chika Anyiam will face Republican Lee Finley in November for the Place 8 Judge of the Court of Criminal Appeals. Finley beat Michelle Slaughter for the Republican nomination with 53.88% of votes to Slaughter 46.12%.
State, U.S. and Federal Offices
Brent A. Money won the Republican Party nomination for District 2 Representative with 56.89% of votes to incumbent Jill Dutton’s 41.11%. Money received 17,293 votes to Dutton’s 13,103 votes. Money will face Democrat Kristen Washington on the Nov. 5 ballot.
Washington was the lone Democrat seeking her party’s nomination for District 2 State Representative; she received all 394 of the votes cast by Democrats for the seat.
Pat Fallon received 80.29% and Don Horn 19.71% of Republican votes cast March 5, earning the incumbent District 4 US Represenative the party nomination. Fallon will face Democrat Simon Cardell in November on the ballot for US District 2 Representative.
Colin Allred finished ahead of eight other candidates to win the Democratic nomination for United States Senator. Allred received 58.84% of Democratic votes, Meri Gomez 4.57%, Mark Gonzalez 8.81%, Roland Gutierrez 16.65%, A. Robert Hassan 2.26%, Steven J. Keough 2.25%, Heli Rodriguez Prilliman 1.94%, Carl Oscar Sherman 3.28% and Thierry Tchenko 1.39% of the Democratic votes cast for US Senator during the Party Primary. In the Republican Primary, Ted Cruz finished ahead of two opponents for the party nomination for US Senator. Cruz received 88.31%, Holland “Redd” Gibson 5.98% and R.E. (Rufus) Lopez 5.71% in the Republican primary. Allred and Cruz will face off in the coming election for the US Senate seat.
A runoff will be held for the District 12 Republican nomination for the State Board of Education, as no candidates received over 50% of the vote. Jamie Kohlmann received 26.94% of the vote, Matt Rostami 16.26%, Pam Little 36.24% and Chad Green 20.56%. Little and Kohlmann will face off in May 28. The winner will then face Democrat George King on the November ballot.
Katherine Culbert easily won the Democratic Party nomination for Railroad Commissioner, while Christi Craddick received the Republican Party nomination for Railroad Commissioner by a very slim margin. Culbertson received 67.67% and Bill Burch 32.32% of the votes cast by Democrats for Railroad Commissioner. Craddick received 50.42% of the votes cast by Republicans, James “Jim” Matlock 26.56%, Christie Clark 11.72%, Corey Howell 6.31% and Petra Reyes 4.99% of the votes cast for Railroad Commissioner in the Republican Primary.
During the Primary, Joseph R. Biden Jr. easily finished ahead of seven other candidates to win the Texas’ Democratic nomination for president, while Donald J. Trump finished ahead of seven other candidates for the state Republican nomination for president. President Biden received 84.59% of the overall Democratic votes cast for president March 5, while Marianne Williams received 4.46%, Cenk Uygur 1.65%, Amando “Mando” Perez Serrato 2.81%, Frankie Lozada 1.15%, Gabriel A. Cornejo 1.76%, Dean Phillips 2.7% and Star Locke 0.88%. Trump received 77.86% of the Republican votes cast by Texans in the party primary; Nikki Haley came in next with 17.43%, then Ron Desantis with 1.56%, Vivek Ramaswamy with 0.46%, Chris Christie with 0.39%, Asa Hutchinson 0.13%, Ryan L. Binkley 0.11%, and David Stuckenberg 0.1%; another 1.96% of Republicans were uncommitted to a candidate for president.
Runoffs
Party Primary runoffs will be May 28, with early voting May 20-24.