Steven Palazzo, Mike Ezell will likely face-off after nail-biting GOP primary in MS
It’s likely incumbent Steven Palazzo and Jackson County Sheriff MIke Ezell will face off on June 28 to become the Republican candidate for the 4th U.S. Congressional District in the general election.
It was a near three-way race between Palazzo, Ezell and businessman Clay Wagner right from the start of the vote count.
Associated Press called the race at around 9:40 p.m., determining Palazzo’s 32% of the vote had secured him a place in the runoff election.
At 11:15 p.m., AP hadn’t determined who the challenger would be.
Ezell was leading Wagner by 1,599 votes. It appears some ballot boxes may have been left to count in Hancock and Harrison counties at 11:30 p.m.
The results are, with 97.3% of the vote counted:
Palazzo — 31.6%
Ezell — 25.2%
Wagner — 22.0%
Brice Wiggins — 22.0%
Carl Boyanton — 6.3%
Raymond Brooks — 4.6%
Kidron Peterson — 0.9%
As he’s done in past elections, Palazzo had strong voter support in the Hattiesburg area and the northern area of the district. He was elected in 2010 and is seeking a seventh term in the U.S. Congress.
In an email statement, Palazzo said: “We now turn our attention to the run-off, and we will not be out-worked. We will continue talking to voters about what we’ve been able to accomplish and our plans for promoting policies to restore economic growth, secure our borders, and keep Americans safe.”
Palazzo voted with his mother and son on the Coast, then returned to Washington, D.C. for votes in Congress. He took an early lead and managed to hold onto it as Ezell and Wagner beat the incumbent in their home counties.
It was in Jackson County where Sheriff Ezell surged, and at one point during the night, he and Wagner were less than 100 votes apart. Wagner will likely win Hancock County.
Voter turnout was extremely light Tuesday, with only 5% of the registered going to the polls at Lakeshore in Hancock County.
At the D’Iberville civic center, only 700 ballots were provided in a precinct of more than 7,000 registered voters because of the expected low turnout.
The winner of the runoff race will face Democrat Johnny DuPree and Independent Alden Johnson in November.
Sun Herald visual reporter Hannah Ruhoff contributed to this report.
