Record Numbers Vote In Primaries

Editor

"It blew me away," Hunt County Elections Administrator Almina Cook told The Quinlan-Tawakoni News about the number of voters in Tuesday’s Primary Elections.

Cook made the comment at midnight as she delivered the final results of the voting. The Neylandville voting precinct with 114 votes was the hangup in tallying the results after all other precincts were reported earlier.

Cook said a total of 16,179 voters cast ballots in Hunt County’s 36 precincts to break all voting records for the county’s approximate 48,000 registered voters. She anticipated new records for the General Election.

Republican voters will return to the polls April 8 to finish the job in selecting a nominee in a couple of local races where no candidate received at least 50 percent of the votes.

Randy Meeks came close in the Republican race for the sheriff nomination. He received 3,828 votes, representing 48.20 percent of the total cast.

He will face Richard Hill in the runoff since Hill received 2,909 votes, 36.63 percent.

Third-place Robert J. White was knocked out of the running with 1,205 votes, 15.17 percent.

The winner of the Republican runoff will face Dewey Watson who was unopposed for the Democratic nomination. Watson received 5,245 votes.

Another runoff will be required to determine the winner of the Republican’s County Commissioner Precinct 1 race.

Mike Pierce was the high-vote getter with 754, representing 42.08 percent of the total. He will face off with Chris Bracken who took 558 votes, 31.14 percent.

Third-runner William "Bill" Sherman with 250 votes, 13.95 percent, and fourth-runner Richard Phillips with 230, 12.83 percent, were eliminated from the running.

In the General Election, the winner of the Republican runoff will face Kenneth D. Thornton, who won the Democratic nomination with 1,177 votes, 70.65 percent.

Thornton beat D. Frank Giles who received 489 votes, 29.35 percent.

Incumbent County Commissioner Precinct 3 Phillip A. Martin was the top vote getter of the three candidates for both parties although he was unopposed for the Democratic nomination. Democrats gave Martin 1,406 votes.

He will be opposed in the General Election by Larry Middlebrooks, who was the top runner for the Republicans with 1,155 votes, 59.38 percent. He beat Ronnie Morgan who received 790 votes, 40.62 percent.

The district attorney’s race went to Noble Walker on the Republican side of the election. Walker took 5,152 votes, 69,60 percent, to Scott A. Cornuaud’s 2,250, 30.40 percent.

Walker will face Democrat Carol Day Gustin in the General Election. Gustin was unopposed for her party’s nomination and received 5,015 votes.

F. Duncan Thomas who is the incumbent district attorney who did not seek reelection to that job but filed for the new position of County Court-at-Law No. 2 Judge received 6,222 Republican votes.

Former court-at-law judge Steve Shipp received the Democrat’s nomination for the position and will oppose Thomas in the General Election.

Shipp received 5,533 votes from Democrats.

Cullen J. Smith was the top vote getter of the three candidates for Constable, Precinct 4, although Smith was unopposed for the Democratic nod. He received 1,277 votes.

Smith will be challenged by Kent E. Layton in November balloting. Layton received 832 votes, 59.47 percent, of the Republican Party total. He beat Glenn Parris who received 567 votes, 40.53 percent, for the nomination.

Terry Jones was the easy winner of the Republican nomination for Constable in Precinct 1. Jones received 2,821 votes, 67.52 percent, to Benny Brothers’ 1,357, 32.48 percent.

Jones will square off with Democrat Wayne "Doc" Pierce in the General Election. Pierce was unopposed in his party’s balloting and received 720 votes.

The party nominees in the Constable, Precinct 3, race were unopposed for their party selections. Democrat Don Morrison received three more votes than Republican Roger D. Wolfe. However the difference will not matter until they square off in the General Election.

Democrats gave Morrison 461 votes. Republicans gave Wolfe 458.

Smith Gilley received 5,400 unopposed votes for county chairman for the Democrats.

Bill Hocutt received 5,728 unopposed votes for county chairman for the Republicans.

The Republican nomination for Justice of the Peace, Precinct 1, Place 1, went to Sandy Lane Berger with 2,862 votes, 63.81 percent. She beat Brandon Bobbitt who received 1,623 votes, 36.19 percent.

Berger will face Democrat Kenneth Newman Peters in the General Election. Peters received 2,954 unopposed Democratic Party votes.

Tax Assessor-Collector Barbara Wiggins gained another term unopposed. The Republican received 6,286 votes.

County Attorney Joel David Littlefield received a new term unopposed. Republicans gave him 6,170 votes.

District Judge, 354th Judicial District, was reelected for a new term and was unopposed on the Democrat ticket and received no challenge from the Republicans. Beacom received 5,323 votes.

In presidential running, Hunt County Republicans put Mike Huckabee in the winner’s seat with 3,905 votes, 46.95 percent. John McCain was close behind with 3,652 votes, 43.90 percent.

A distant third was Ron Paul with 285, 3.43 percent. Others were Alan Keyes, 43; Rudy Giuliani, 29; Mitt Romney, 108; Duncan Hunter, 26; Hugh Cort, 7; Fred Thompson, 70; and uncommitted, 193.

Democrats gave a big win to Hillary Clinton for the presidential nomination with 4,664 votes, 60.96 percent. Barack Obama was second with 2,839, 37.11 percent.

Others included John Edwards, 113; Bill Richardson, 18; Christopher J. Dodd, 10; and Joe Biden, 7.

John Cornyn was the easy winner for U.S. Senator from Texas with 5,474 votes from Hunt County. He beat challenger Larry Kilgore who received 2,024, 26.99 percent.

Democrat Richard J. "Rick" Noriega received 3,022, 48.80 percent. Gene Kelly was second with 1,532, 24.74 percent. Others were Rhett R. Smith, 900; and Ray McMurrey, 739.

Incumbent U.S. Rep. District 4 Ralph M. Hall was the big winner for the Republican Party. He received 6,337 votes, 79.73 percent. That was more than 70 percent better than the second-place distant challenger Gene Christensen with 731, 9.20 percent.

Others seeking the Republican nomination were Kathy Seei, 431; Kevin George, 354; and Joshua Kowert, 95.

Democrat Party runners were Glenn Melancon with 3,116 votes, 52.66 percent; and VaLinda Hathcox, 2,801 votes, 47.34 percent.

State Rep. District 2 Dan Flynn was the unopposed winner of the Republican voting with 6,298 votes. He is also unopposed in the General Election.

Voters in the April 8 runoff election have until Monday, March 10, to register.

Early voting by personal appearance in the runoff will begin March 31.

The last day to receive an application for a ballot by mail is April 1.

The last day of early voting by personal appearance is April 4.