Runoff elections tomorrow, Aug. 27

Polls open tomorrow at 7 a.m. for party primary runoffs, and they’re open until 7 p.m.

For Vicksburg and Warren County residents, the races on your ballot will largely depend on your precinct as well as your party preference.

For all Mississippians, which runoff you vote in will depend on what party primary you voted in previously. If you voted in the Aug. 6 primaries, you can only cast a ballot in the same party for the runoffs. If you didn’t vote Aug. 6, you can vote in either runoff election.

Republican Party

Republican voters have two state-wide races on the ballot.

Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves and former Mississippi Supreme Court Chief Justice Bill Waller, Jr.

At the top of the ticket is the GOP gubernatorial race between Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves and former Mississippi Supreme Court Chief Justice Bill Waller, Jr. On Aug. 6, Reeves took 49 percent of the vote and Waller 33 percent. Third place finisher state Rep. Robert Foster has since endorsed Waller; however, Reeves has the support of the current governor.

Reeves and Waller have spent the weeks since the primary attempting to prove who is the better conservative. Reeves touts his support for President Donald Trump and his disdain for the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. Waller is saying he will honor traditional conservative principles while pushing to fix the state’s crumbling roads and bridges in addition to expanding health-care coverage through a program similar to one adopted in Indiana under then-Gov. Mike Pence.

Whoever wins the gubernatorial runoff will face Democrat Jim Hood, the state’s current attorney general, Constitution Party candidate Bob Hickingbottom and independent David Singletary Nov. 5.

And speaking of attorney general, Republicans will choose their nominee for the office between state Treasurer Lynn Fitch and long-time GOP big wig, lawyer and author Andy Taggart. Both candidates have been campaigning on anti-drug platforms. Third-place finisher state Rep. Mark Baker endorsed Taggart.

The winner of the Aug. 27 runoff for attorney general will face Democrat and military veteran Jennifer Riley Collins, who is also the former director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi.

Democratic Party

Democrats have one regional runoff election and two local races on the ballot.

The regional race on the Democratic ballot is for the post of public service commissioner in the Central District. On the ballot are De’Keither Stamps and Dorothy “Dot” Benford.

Stamps is a member of the Jackson City Council and hopes to work with city and county governmental entities to cut utility bills and save energy. Benford is a perennial candidate, having lost no fewer than nine previous races since 1988 for everything from Jackson tax assessor to a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. The winner faces Republican Brent Bailey.

Shawn Jackson, candidate for the District 3 Board of Supervisors seat, has garnered endorsements from Vicksburg Mayor George Flaggs Jr. and Vicksburg-Warren County School Board Member Jim Stirgus Jr.

Locally, the most watched race is for the Warren County Board of Supervisor’s seat in District 3. On the ballot are political newcomer Shawn Jackson, who garnered the most votes in the Aug. 6 primary, and 23-year incumbent Charles Selmon.

Both candidates have focused on economic development. Selmon has emphasized his experience in office, while Jackson’s campaign has focused on increasing revenue for the county. Jackson has garnered endorsements from Vicksburg Mayor George Flaggs Jr. and Vicksburg-Warren County School Board Member Jim Stirgus Jr., who was also in the primary race for the supervisor’s seat. The winner of this race faces independent David Sharp in November.

House District 63, which spans the area east of Vicksburg and west of Clinton, will hold a runoff for the Democratic nominee to the Mississippi House of Representatives, where incumbent Deborah Butler Dixon faces Stephanie McKenzie Foster. The winner of the Aug. 27 runoff will essentially win the seat as there are no opposing candidates for the November general election.