Rick Patrick
rick@greenepublishing.com
Madison County chooses Trump
On Tuesday, Nov. 3, Madison County voters went to the polls to make their choice for not only the nation's next chief executive, but several state and local races and issues as well. In the race for President of the United States, Madison voters chose current President Donald Trump by a wide margin. Trump received 5,570 votes in Madison County, compared to Joe Biden's 3,743 votes. Other presidential candidates receiving votes were: Jo Jorgensen, with 32 votes; "Rocky" De La Fuente, with three votes; Gloria La Riva, with four votes; Howie Hawkins, with 13 votes and Don Blankenship, who received five votes in Madison County.
Statewide, numbers were similar. Trump received 5,657,933 votes (51.24 percent), while Biden garnered 5,282,894 votes (47.85 percent). The rest of the presidential field included: Jorgensen, with 70,001 votes; De La Fuente, with 5,949 votes; La Riva, with 5,687 votes; Hawkins, with 14,646 votes and Blankenship, with 3,887 votes.
David Harper elected new Madison County Sheriff
On Tuesday, Nov. 3, David Harper emerged from a crowded field of contenders to win the office of Sheriff for Madison County. Harper received over 900 more votes than his closest competitor, Chris Cooks. Harper had 4,018 votes, Cooks had 3,052 votes, William Sircy received 1,297 votes and Kenneth Moore had 856 votes. Harper will replace retiring Sheriff Ben Stewart. Stewart had previously endorsed Harper for the job.
Heath Driggers elected Supervisor of Elections
On Tuesday, Nov. 3, Madison County chose a new Supervisor of Elections to replace current Supervisor of Elections Tommy Hardee. Hardee chose not to run for re-election. A field of three candidates were vying for the job, and Heath Driggers was selected to fill the position. Driggers received 3,833 votes, Renetta Parrish received 2,933 votes and Chris Norris received 2,427.
Billy Washington wins Clerk of Court
On Tuesday, Nov. 3, Madison County voters decided to retain Billy Washington as Madison County's Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller. Washington held off a challenge from Angela Rodgers. Washington received 5,687 votes, compared to Rodgers' 3,471 votes.
Shirley Joseph elected Superintendent of Schools
On Tuesday, Nov. 3, current Madison County Superintendent of Schools Shirley Joseph easily won election to her current position. Joseph has been serving as Superintendent of Schools since being appointed by Gov. DeSantis after the previous Superintendent, Karen Pickles, resigned in April, 2019, before her term was complete. Joseph received 4,983 votes, compared to challenger Ivory Thomas' 3,776 votes.
County Commissioner Alston Kelley wins re-election
On Tuesday, Nov. 3, Madison County voters in District One decided to keep Alston Kelley as their county commissioner. Kelley received 872 votes, while challenger Chuck Mays received 739 votes. This will be Kelley's second term on the commission.
Brian Williams wins election to County Commission
On Tuesday, Nov. 3, Brian Williams defeated incumbent District Five Commissioner Rick Davis to earn the District Five seat on the Board of Madison County Commissioners. Williams received 1,047 votes in the race. Rick Davis received 755 votes. Another challenger, Donnell Davis, received 676 votes.
Barbara Dansey returns to Greenville Town Council
On Tuesday, Nov. 3, Greenville voters selected a former member of the Town Council to return to the council. Barbara Dansey, who had previously served on the council, defeated incumbent Calvin Malone to take the race for Seat Three on the Greenville Town Council. Dansey received 210 votes, while Malone received 157 votes. Another challenger, Anthony Paterno, received 34 votes.
Brittni Brown re-elected to Greenville Town Council
On Tuesday, Nov. 3, the voters of Greenville re-elected Brittni Brown to Seat Four on the Greenville Town Council. This race turned out to be one of the closest races of the day. Brown received 212 votes, holding off a challenge from Janet Bailey, who received 187 votes.
Al Lawson holds seat
Despite carrying a significant majority of voters in Madison County on Tuesday, Nov. 3, U.S. House of Representatives District Five challenger Gary Adler failed to unseat incumbent Al Lawson. Locally, Adler received 5,255 votes and Lawson received 3,985 Madison County votes. Across the district, Lawson won re-election by a significant margin. Lawson received 218,483 votes, compared to Adler's 117,199 votes.
Rep. Jason Shoaf re-elected to Florida House
On Tuesday, Nov. 3, Rep. Jason Shoaf had little trouble holding off a challenge for his Florida House of Representatives District Seven seat. In Madison County Shoaf received 5,576 votes, while challenger Taymour Khan received 3,467 votes. District-wide, Shoaf received 55,790 votes and Khan received 20,699 votes.
Loranne Ausley elected to State Senate
In the District Three State Senate race to take over the seat vacated by retiring State Senator Bill Montford, Loranne Ausley edged Marva Preston to win the seat in the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 3. In Madison County Preston received a majority of the local votes, 5,520, to Ausley's 3,985 votes. Across the district, Ausley received 137,435 votes and Preston garnered 120,052.