By David A. Farrell, Jeremy Pittari, and Item staff writers
The Picayune Item
POPLARVILLE —
Pearl River County voters favored Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney for President, joining the rest of the State of Mississippi.
However, Fox News at 10:16 p.m. called the race for President Obama after he won Ohio. CBS also called it for the president. But Romney aides said they were not ready to concede. The election was too close to call for some news organizations as the Picayune Item went to press at 11 p.m.
In other races, Pearl River County voters helped to re-elect incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, 4th District Republican Rep. Steven Palazzo, Southern District Supreme Court Justice Mike Randolph, District 2 incumbent Republican election commissioner Margaret Woodson, and gave former South East District Coroner Ray Merle Bennett his old job back.
In statewide races, returns were:
For U.S. Senate with 72 percent of the vote counted, Wicker 415,654, Democrat Albert Gore, Jr., 290,593, Thomas Cramar 8,964, Robert Claunch 1,403, and Shawn O’Hara 8,017.
Pearl River County voted for Wicker 11,687, Gore 2,757, Cramer 461 and Shawn O’Hara 321.
In the race for 4th District Congressman, district-wide returns with 84 percent of precincts reporting, Palazzo had 122,456 votes, Democrat Matthew Moore 51,340, Libertarian Ron Williams 12,113 and Reform Party Robert Claunch 1,408.
Pearl River County gave Palazzo 11,700 votes, Moore 2,350, Claunch 145 and Williams 903.
In the race for Supreme Court Justice Southern District, district-wide with 81 percent of precincts reporting, incumbent Mike Randolph received 181,670 votes and Talmadge Braddock 54,933. Pearl River gave Randolph 10,323 votes and Randolph 2,781.
In the only other contested races for Pearl River County, District 2 election commissioner incumbent Woodson got 3,029 votes and Brenda Nirenberg 898. That was with 29 of 33 precincts reporting.
Also with 29 of 33 precincts reporting, in the race for Pearl River County South East District Constable, Ray Merle Bennett won with 2,192 votes to unseat incumbent constable Justin Faia with 1,557 votes.
In the presidential race, with 29 of 33 precincts reporting Pearl River County voters gave Romney 13,116 votes to Obama’s 2,360.
Results are unofficial.
