BY DAVID BELL
FOR THE OBSERVER
Publisher’s Note —
These results are unofficial until certified by election officials.
LEE COUNTY — Two local three-candidate races in Tuesday’s Presidential Primary Election were decided without the necessity for a runoff.
According to the uncertified results, Opelika attorney Samantha Copelan easily won the Republican Primary for Lee County District Judge, Place 2, with 8,346 votes, or 57%. Lee County Assistant District Attorney Clay Thomas finished second with 3,990 votes (27%), while Opelika attorney Harold Morris received 2,290 votes (16%).
Copelan will face Democratic challenger Kris Patton, an Auburn-based DHR attorney, in the Nov. 5 General Election.
In the Republican Primary race for Lee County Commissioner, District 3, Jeff Drury was victorious with 1,582 votes, or 54% of the total cast. Challenger Brian Davis was second with 875 votes (30%), while incumbent Gary Long received 462 votes (16%).
Lee County voters followed the statewide trend in the Republican and Democratic Presidential Primaries, giving current president Joe Biden 90% of his party’s vote and former President Donlad Trump 75% of the Republican ballots cast.
Local voters were evenly divided when it came to the proposed statewide Amendment to the Constitution of Alabama that would authorize the Legislature to sign and transmit local laws or constitutional amendments before the transmission of basic appropriations. “Yes” votes totaled 8,490, with 8,497 voting “no.”
Of the total 128,741 registered voters in Lee County, only 18,999, or 14.76%, actually voted in Tuesday’s election.
“That’s about what I predicted,” said Lee County Probate Judge Bill English. “Historically, we have a small turnout for primary elections.”
OTHER LEE COUNTY RESULTS
United States Representative, 3rd Congressional District (Rep)
Mike Rogers – 78.13%
Bryan K. Newell – 13.85%
Barron Rae Bevels – 8.02%
Chief Justice Of The Supreme Court
Sarah Stewart – 53.13%
Brian Taylor – 46.87%
Court Of Civil Appeals Judge, Place 2 (Rep)
Chad Hanson – 56.36%
Stephen Davis Parker – 43.54%
Court Of Criminal Appeals Judge, Place 2 (Rep)
Rich Anderson – 54.18%
Thomas Govan – 45.82
President, Public Service Commission (Rep)
Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh – 55.07%
Robert L. McCollum – 44.93%
Democratic Delegates 3rd Congressional District (Dem)
Joseph R Biden Jr Delegates (DEM)
Jeremy Gray – 34.31%
Pam Howard – 21.92%
Kyle Pierce – 20.34%
Ciara Smith – 22.19%
Uncommitted Delegates (DEM)
John Squires – 1.24%
State-wide results from Tuesday’s election can be found at www.sos.alabama.gov/alabama-votes.