Billionaire businessman and TV celebrity Donald Trump of New York was elected as the next president of the United States on Tuesday, but he was not the top pick of the majority of voters in Tallahatchie County.
The Republican finished second in local balloting to Democrat Hillary Clinton, also of New York.
Clinton tallied 3,311 local votes (57 percent) to Trump’s 2,437 (42 percent), with five minor-party candidates picking up the remaining crumbs.
Trump did, however, carry the Magnolia State on Tuesday, garnering 58 percent of the vote in Mississippi.
Among other contested races on Tallahatchie County’s general election ballots:
• Incumbent U.S. Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, a Democrat, received 65 percent of local votes while Republican John Bouie II got 30 percent. The rest were split among two others. Thompson easily won re-election by compiling 67 percent of the vote districtwide.
• In a race for Mississippi Supreme Court Northern District, Position 1, Circuit Judge Bobby Chamberlin of Hernando received 37 percent of local votes to lead the field, but he reportedly was locked in a tight race with Columbus attorney John Brady on a districtwide basis.
• In a race for Mississippi Appeals Court, District 2, Position 2, incumbent Ceola James of Vicksburg received just 17 percent of the local vote while opponent Latrice Westbrooks of Goodman was given 83 percent. The trend held true throughout the district, as Westbrooks turned back James’ re-election bid.
• In the only locally contested race on the ballot Tuesday, incumbent West Tallahatchie school board member Lucinda Berryhill earned re-election by receiving 379 votes (74 percent) to opponent Marvin Watson’s 129 (25 percent) in Education District 1.
Tallahatchie County Circuit Clerk Daphane Neal said Tuesday night that there were no significant problems impacting local general election balloting, saying, “Overall, everything went good.”
About 62 percent of the county’s 9,573 registered voters cast a ballot in the general election.
