Jackson Free Press

Candidates for various Hinds County and statewide judicial roles appeared on Tuesday's ballot alongside U.S. Senate and congressional candidates. Just before midnight on election night, Hinds County released unofficial results after counting 109 of 110 precincts, or 99.09 percent of the vote.

The results are not yet final, but several races seem to be headed to a runoff. To win outright, candidates need to get at least 50 percent plus one; otherwise their races will be on the Nov. 27 runoff ballot along with U.S. Senate hopeful Mike Espy and incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith.

Following are results where they stand at press time. This story will be updated with official results when they come in. Read more about the judicial candidates who responded to our questionnaire here.

Hinds County Circuit Court Judge Races

Two assistant district attorneys under DA Robert Shuler Smith were unsuccessful in their bids for circuit-court judge seats. For District 7-1, Jackson attorney Matt Allen with 36.75 percent and Rep. Adrienne Wooten, D-Jackson, with 45.17 percent are heading to a runoff. ADA Pat McNamara was also in that race, but drew only 6 percent of the vote.

In the race for District 7-2, over which Senior Court Judge Tomie Green has presided for the last two decades, Green defeated ADA Kimalon Campbell with nearly double the votes. Circuit Court Judge Winston Kidd ran unopposed and won.

For the final circuit-court seat up for grabs in District 4, former Hinds County District Attorney Eleanor Faye Peterson leads the unofficial results with 39.33 precent and Joseph Sclafani with 26.99 percent will go to a runoff. Gov. Phil Bryant appointed Sclafani to fill the remainder of Circuit Court Judge Bill Gowan when he retired. Attorney Trent Walker came in a close third with 21.27 percent of the vote.

Circuit Court District 7-1

(VOTE FOR) 1 MATTHEW ALLEN . . . . . . . . . 5,961 votes , (36.75 percent)

BRUCE BURTON . . . . . . . . . 675 votes , (4.16 percent)

PATRICK MCNAMARA . . . . . . . . 1,032 votes, (6.36 percent)

BILL WALKER. . . . . . . . . . 1,150 votes, (7.09 percent)

ADRIENNE WOOTEN . . . . . . . . 7,327 votes, (45.17 percent)

WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 75 votes, (0.46 percent)

Circuit Court District 7-2

(VOTE FOR) 1

KIMALON CAMPBELL . . . . . . . . 5,528 votes, (34.20 percent)

TOMIE GREEN. . . . . . . . . . 10,568 votes, (65.37 percent)

WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 70 votes, (0.43 percent)

Circuit Court District 7-3

(VOTE FOR) 1

WINSTON KIDD . . . . . . . . . 10,114 votes, (97.68 percent)

WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 240 votes, (2.32 percent)

Circuit Court District 7-4

(VOTE FOR) 1

GERALD KUCIA . . . . . . . . . 3,656 votes, (12.11 percent)

ELEANOR PETERSON . . . . . . . 11,875 votes, (39.33 percent)

JOSEPH SCLAFANI . . . . . . . . 8,151 votes, (26.99 percent)

TRENT WALKER . . . . . . . . . 6,422 votes, (21.27 percent)

WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 93 votes, ( 0.31 percent)

Hinds County Chancery Court Judge Races

Unofficial results suggest clear winners for all but one Hinds County Chancery Court seat. Judge Dewayne Thomas of District 1 ran unopposed and won with 98.13 percent, as did District 3 Judge Denise Owens with 98.18. Attorney Crystal Wise Martin won District 2 with 76 percent of the vote. District 4's race, however, will go to the Nov. 27 runoff between Gov. Phil Bryant-endorsed attorney Monique Brown-Barrett with 28.96 percent of the vote and attorney Tiffany Grove with 27.51 percent.

Chancery Court District 5-1

(VOTE FOR) 1

J THOMAS. . . . . . . . . . . 14,003 votes, (98.13 percent)

WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 267 votes, (1.87 percent)

Chancery Court District 5-2

(VOTE FOR) 1

REGINALD HARRION . . . . . . . . 3,820 votes, (23.83 percent)

CRYSTAL MARTIN. . . . . . . . . 12,155 votes, (75.84 percent)

WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 52 votes, (0.32 percent)

Chancery Court District 5-3

(VOTE FOR) 1

DENISE OWENS . . . . . . . . . 10,705 votes, (98.18 percent)

WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 198 votes, (1.82 percent)

Chancery Court District 5-4

(VOTE FOR) 1

MONIQUE BROWN-BARRETT . . . . . . 8,737 votes, (28.96 percent)

OTTOWA CARTER . . . . . . . . . 6,804 votes, (22.55 percent)

TIFFANY GROVE . . . . . . . . . 8,299 votes, (27.51 percent)

STEVEN NIXON . . . . . . . . . 6,232 votes, (20.66 percent)

WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 95 votes, (0.31 percent)

Hinds County Court Judge Races

Of the three county court judge sats up for grabs, two seem to be decided based on unofficial numbers. Incumbent Melvin Priester Sr. won District 1 with 63.62 percent of the vote, and Larita Cooper-Stokes, who ran unopposed, won easily with 98.45 percent.

District 3 is in a tight squeeze, as the rest of the votes are counted to determine whether it will go to a runoff. Henley-Young Juvenile Detention Center Executive Director Johnnie McDaniels has 49.32 percent of the vote, and John Fike, a Raymond attorney, is in second place with 35.22 percent.

County Court District 1

(VOTE FOR) 1

GRETA MACK HARRIS. . . . . . . . 4,459 votes, (18.86 percent)

BRIDGETTE MORGAN . . . . . . . . 4,031votes, (17.05 percent)

MELVIN PRIESTER . . . . . . . . 15,041votes, (63.62 percent)

WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 111 votes, (0.47 percent)

County Court District 2

(VOTE FOR) 1

LARITA COOPER-STOKES. . . . . . . 12,982 votes, (98.45 percent)

WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 205 votes, (1.55 percent)

County Court District 3

(VOTE FOR) 1

JOHN FIKE . . . . . . . . . . 12,524 votes, (35.22 percent)

YEMI KINGS . . . . . . . . . . 5,215 votes, (14.67 percent)

JOHNNIE MCDANIELS. . . . . . . . 17,537 votes, (49.32 percent)

WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 280 votes, (0.79 percent)

Court of Appeals

Hinds County voters cast their votes in two Court of Appeals races that are both likely to be on the Nov. 27 runoff ballot.

For the District 2-1 seat, it appears attorney and former municipal court judge in Fayette, Miss., Debra McDonald will likely go to a runoff with attorney Eric Hawkins of Greenville, Miss. At press time, McDonald had 49 percent of the vote, and Hawkins had 28.

In the race for District 4-2, attorney and Mississippi College School of Law professor David McCarty had 49 percent of the vote, and former Hinds County Circuit Court judge and Jackson city councilman Jeff Weill Sr., whom Gov. Bryant endorsed, has 28.

Here's how Hinds County voted:

Court of Appeals District 2 Position 1

(VOTE FOR) 1

ERIC HAWKINS . . . . . . . . . 3,602 votes, (23.90 percent)

CEOLA JAMES. . . . . . . . . . 3,024 votes, (20.06 percent)

DEBRA MCDONALD. . . . . . . . . 8,349 votes, (55.39 percent)

WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 97 votes, (0.64 percent)

Court of Appeals District 4 Position 2

(VOTE FOR) 1

HERBERT CARTER. . . . . . . . . 13,669 votes, (23.87 percent)

DAVID MCCARTY . . . . . . . . . 25,932 votes, (45.28 percent)

JEFFREY WEILL . . . . . . . . . 17,265 votes, (30.15 percent)

WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 407 votes, (0.71 percent)

Email city reporter Ko Bragg at [email protected].