BY HANNAH LESTER
AND MICHELLE KEY
EDITOR@
OPELIKAOBSERVER.COM
Publisher’s Note: These results are not official but will be certified at a later date. Provisional ballots will need to be counted and certified before some of the races can be declared.
LEE COUNTY —
The May 24 primary election is over and both state and local winners are ready to campaign for the November general election. Some, however, will need a runoff vote.
Governor:
Gov. Kay Ivey won the Republican Primary and will face either Yolanda Rochelle Flowers or Malika Sanders Fortier in November.
Preliminary results show Ivey as having received 59.47% of the votes in Lee County and 54.42% statewide.
Flowers received 44.73% of the votes and Fortier received 25.31% in Lee County and 33.83% and 32.51% statewide, respectively, which forces a runoff for the Democratic ticket.
Ivey has served as the 54th governor and is completing her first full term.
Ivey beat out several Republican candidates for the primary seat, including Lindy Blanchard, Lew Burdette, Stacy Lee George, Tim James, Donald Trent Jones, Dean Odle, Dave Thomas and Dean Young.
There were six Democratic candidates for governor, including Flowers, Fortier, Patricia Salter Jamieson, Arthur Kennedy, Chad “Chig” Martin and Doug “New Blue” Smith.
U.S. Senator:
Katie Britt and Mo Brooks will face each other in a runoff for the United States senator seat currently held by Richard Shelby. Shelby announced last year that he would not be running for another term.
Britt led the race with 45.36% of the votes with Brooks taking 28.62%.
Britt earned 55.38% of the local Lee County vote.
Britt and Brooks beat out other candidates, Lillie Boddie, Karla M. DuPriest and Jake Schafer on the Republican ballot.
Will Boyd won the Democratic Primary for U.S. senator, with 61.91% of the votes in Lee County and more than 63% statewide. There were two other Democratic candidates for senator: Brandon Dean and Lanny Jackson.
State Senator District No. 13:
Incumbent Randy Price secured the Republican Primary Tuesday night against opponent John Allen Coker.
This will be Price’s second term in office. In Lee County, Price won a total of 80.97% of the votes. Coker trailed with 19.03%.
State Senator District No. 27:
Jay Hovey earned 62.64% of the votes in Lee County and incumbent Tom Whatley had 37.36% of the Lee County vote for the state senator District 27 seat.
However, statewide, this race is too close to call until all provisional ballots have been certified and counted. As of press time, Hovey was leading Whatley by just four votes.
United States Representative 3rd Congressional District:
Mike Rogers won the United States representative 3rd Congressional District seat with 79.68% of the local vote. Rogers beat his opponent, Michael T. Joiner, who received 20.32% of Lee County votes.
Attorney General:
Incumbent Steve Marshall won the attorney general seat against opponent Harry Bartlett Still III with 84.42% of the votes, and Still received 15.58% of the votes.
State Representative District No. 38:
Debbie Hamby Wood beat her opponent, Micah J. Messer for the state representative District 38 seat with 54.22% of the Lee County vote while Messer received 45.78% of the votes.
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Place 5:
Greg Cook secured the seat for associate justice of the Supreme Court Place 5 against Debra Jones.
Cook won with 56.37% of the votes while Jones received 43.63% of the votes.
Secretary of State:
Wes Allen and Jim Zeigler will have a runoff.
Zeigler won with 37.56% of the votes, and Allen had 35.42% of the votes.
State Auditor:
Rusty Glover and Andrew Sorrell also ended in a runoff.
Glover took 38.89% of the votes while Sorrell trailed second with 31.98%.
For Public Service Commission Place No. 1:
The public service commission place No. 1. race forced a runoff between incumbent Jeremy H. Oden and Brent Woodall.
Woodall carried 31.9% of the votes, with Oden taking 31.8% of the votes.
Public Service Commission Place No. 2:
Incumbent Chip Beeker and Robert L. McCollum also ended in a runoff for the public service commission place No. 2.
McCollum took 39.7% of the votes and Beeker trailed second with 39.26% of the votes.
State Board of Education District Place No. 2:
Incumbent Tracie West beat Alex Balkcum for the State Board of Education District No. 2 place.
West won with 73.25% of the votes while Balkcum received 26.75% of the votes.
Circuit Court Judge 37th Judicial Circuit Place No. 1:
Jeff Tickal beat opponent Eli Beaver for circuit court judge 37th Judicial Circuit Place No. 1 with 58.42% of the votes, while Beaver received 41.58% of the votes.
Lee County Commission District 4 Seat:
Incumbent Robert Ham failed to beat his opponents Greg Boddie and Tony Langley for the Lee County Commission District 4 seat Tuesday night. This will force a runoff between what is expected to be Ham and Langley. Ham took 34.52% of the votes, Langley had 33.27% and Boddie had 32.21%. It is possible but unlikely that Boddie could move past Langley into second place following the provisional vote count.
Lee County Board of Education District 2:
Rusty Courson beat Incumbent Larry Boswell for the Lee County Board of Education District 2 seat Tuesday night with 57.59% of the votes, while Boswell received 42.41% of the votes.
State Representative District No. 82:
Pebblin Walker Warren beat opponent Terrence Kareem Johnson Tuesday night for the State Representative District No. 82 seat with 59.58% of the votes. Johnson received 40.42% of the votes.
Lee County Commission District No. 5:
The race between Incumbent Richard LaGrand Sr., and his opponent John Andrew Harris for the Lee County Commission District 5 seat was close, with Harris coming out in the lead.
Harris received 51.29% of the votes, including absentee ballots and LaGrand took 48.71%. The outcome of this race could be determined by provisional ballots as there are only 43 votes between Harris and LaGrand.
Harris previously served in this seat before LaGrand.
State Democratic Executive Committee (Female) District No. 79:
Nancy Carlton Bendinger will face opponent Laticia T. Khalif for the State Democratic Executive Committee District No. 79 seat with 41.65% of the votes. while Khalif trailed second with 34% of the votes.
State Democratic Executive Committee (Female) District No. 83:
Patsy Boyd-Parker beat opponent Jasponica Florence for the State Democratic Executive Committee District No. 83 seat with 84.21% of the votes and Florence received 15.79% of the votes.
State Democratic Executive Committee (Male) District No. 81:
Ira J. Moss beat opponent Messiah Williams-Cole for the State Democratic Executive Committee District No. 81 seat with 54.67% of the votes while Williams-Cole received 45.33% of the votes.
Proposed Statewide Amendment Number One (1)
The proposed amendment on the ballot passed in Lee County with 81.98% of the votes.