Glendora funeral home manager Anthony "Tony" Hawkins made history Tuesday when he defeated longtime incumbent Tallahatchie County Coroner Ginger Smith Meriwether in the Democratic primary runoff election.
Hawkins, 53, becomes the first Black candidate ever to win a party nomination for that countywide position in Tallahatchie County.
According to election night results, Hawkins received 1,503 votes (53%) while Meriwether garnered 1,292 (46%). Write-in candidates tallied 1%.
In a Tuesday night post on his Facebook page, Hawkins remarked, "We won. Thank you Tallahatchie County!"
Independent candidate for coroner, Angela "Angie" Peters Davis, 58, who presently serves as deputy coroner under Meriwether, awaits Hawkins in the Nov. 7 general election.
Meriwether, 50, was seeking a fifth full term.
As deputy coroner at the time, Meriwether was appointed interim coroner following the November 2005 death of longtime coroner George H. Speir. She won a November 2006 special election runoff for the post and had been reelected four times since.
Notably, Hawkins has been there every step of the way. He has appeared alongside Meriwether as a candidate for coroner in six elections and has gone head-to-head with her in three competitive runoffs.
Among a field of five, Hawkins finished second to Meriwether in that 2006 special election before losing by 6% in a runoff. He also finished second to Meriwether in the 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019 and 2023 Democratic primaries. He lost a 2019 runoff to her by fewer than 150 votes out of 3,250 cast.
In the other race featured on all Tallahatchie County ballots Tuesday, longtime incumbent Chancery Clerk Anita Mullen Greenwood made some history of her own.
The 64-year-old Greenwood topped Dianne Taylor, 59, by 500 votes to win election to an historic seventh term in that office.
At the end of her present term later this year, Greenwood will have tied former chancery clerk Nick Denley's record-setting mark of serving 24 years in the countywide position.
Greenwood compiled 1,669 votes (59%) to Taylor's 1,169 (41%). She faces no general election opposition.
Two incumbent supervisors notched primary runoff victories.
» In District 3, Larry Cole, 76, successfully fought off the challenge of Ira "Blue" Wrenn, 61, to claim the Democratic nomination for supervisor.
Incumbent Cole tallied 437 votes (57%) to Wrenn's 330 (43%).
Cole is seeking a fourth term.
Republican nominee Justin Booth, 35, awaits in the wings for the general election.
» In District 5, absentee ballots saved the day for incumbent Supervisor Eddie J. Meeks, 66, who won Tuesday and now faces clear sailing to a third term on the Board of Supervisors.
Meeks defeated Kenneth M. Jones, 51, by compiling 334 votes (53%) to Jones' 294 (47%).
Jones led, 276-265, after all machine-cast ballots had been counted, but Meeks received 69 of the 87 absentee votes counted in the race to seal the deal.
About 30%, or less than one-third, of the county's 9,554 registered voters participated in Tuesday's runoff, down from 41% for the Aug. 8 primary.
Tallahatchie County Circuit Clerk Daphane Neal said 23 affidavit ballots were voted at precincts on Tuesday and will be considered by election commissioners on Wednesday morning.
Another 12 voters who failed to provide a photo ID at the polling place were permitted to vote an affidavit ballot. They must present an acceptable form of photo ID to Neal's office by Sept. 6 or the ballot will be tossed.
A total of 282 absentee ballots were counted on election night, noted Neal, who explained that 15 others that were sent out to voters requesting them had not been received by Tuesday. Those absentee ballots had to be postmarked by Tuesday and must be received in Neal's office by Sept. 6 in order to be counted.
Neal said Jerry R. Brown, who finished third behind Hawkins by less than 150 votes in the Aug. 8 election for coroner, had filed a request to examine the ballot boxes and did so on Monday. She said he reported no irregularities.
