In Coahoma County politics there are apparently 115 Republicans and Bennie Thompson.
Thompson, 74, gathered 1,308 votes in the Democratic primary held in Coahoma County Tuesday, with only 115 voters casting ballots for four Republican candidates in their primary.
Thompson did have an opponent, Jerry Kerner, a California native who owns a small business in Terry. Kerner got 64 Coahoma County votes yesterday.
Coahoma County Circuit Clerk Demetria Jackson said 1,495 ballots were cast, or 10.31 percent of the county’s 14,501 registered voters.
“Turn-out was Ok and things went smoothly,” said Jackson. “I want to thank all our poll workers for making it go smoothly. I also want to thank everyone who took the time to vote yesterday. It is important.”
Thompson was the obvious favorite going into Tuesday’s primary. Thompson was first elected to Congress in a special election in 1993 to fill the seat of then Congressman Mike Espy, who resigned to become Secretary of Agriculture under the Clinton Administration.
Thompson has been elected 14 times since then and has been Mississippi’s only Democratic Congressman since 2011. He is the longest serving member of Congress in the state and has a campaign war-chest estimated at $1.7 million.
Republican Brian Flower got 55 votes in Coahoma County on Tuesday with Ronald Eller getting 26, Michael Carson getting 25 and Stanford Johnson getting nine. The Coahoma County Republican Primary also had one Write-in vote.
The statewide race saw Thompson get 42,384 votes or 96.2 percent to Kerner’s, 1,678 votes or 3.8 percent
The GOP ticket saw Brian Flower get 4,980 votes or 43.1 percent, but not the 50-percent-plus-one-vote necessary to seal the primary and head on the General Election.
Flowers will face Ronald Eller who got 3,758 votes or 32.5 percent of the GOP ballots cast.
Thompson will face the Republican nominee during the Nov. 8 general election.
Republican also-ran candidates Michael Carson got 2,464 votes and Stanford Johnson got 349.
Second District and Coahoma County Republicans will head back to the polls for the runoff-election on June 28.
Voters who cast a ballot in the Democratic Primary cannot vote in the Republican Primary.
Thompson, of Bolton, has been a member of Congress since 1993 and is the chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security.
Thompson campaigned this week in southwestern Mississippi counties that were added to his district this year.
