Just over an hour after the polls closed on Election Night, the final word came down: the race for County Commissioner for precincts 1 & 3 both went to the Republican nominees, over the two Write-In candidates.
Come January, Andy Bonner will be sworn in as County Commissioner – Pct. 1 and Michael Daniels will take the oath of office for County Commissioner – Pct. 3.
The County Commissioner race for precinct 1 was a landslide with a total of 1,764 votes for Andy Bonner and 152 votes for Gerald D. Manning.
Michael Daniels took the County Commissioner spot for precinct 3 by over 300 votes, receiving 1,083 to Cooper Daniel’s 756 votes.
This year’s election, on both the local and national levels, has been all about change.
On the national level, political outsider Donald J. Trump was victorious over Hillary Clinton, a woman who spent the last several decades in governmental service.
In Freestone County, many of the races had three or four candidates vying for individual positions. In the primaries, four of those races went into a run-off, but in the end, EVERY incumbent who faced opposition was voted out, prior to the General Election.
Once the month of August rolled around, two Write-In candidates, Manning and Daniel, renewed interest in the local elections when they added their hats to the ring. Their bids, ultimately, failed.
Whether or not your candidate(s) experienced a successful run, the decisions have finally been settled – at least, until the next election.
To follow is a breakdown of election returns for Freestone County voters:
–Constable – Pct. 4
Wade Harrison (REP) – 1,683 votes – unopposed
–Constable – Pct. 3
Pamela Lorraine Brackens (REP) – 1,521 votes – unopposed
–Constable – Pct. 2
Lynn Clary (REP) – 1,353 votes – unopposed
–Constable – Pct. 1
Buck Bonner (REP) – 1,861 – unopposed
–County Commissioner – Pct. 3
Michael Daniels (REP) – 1,083
Cooper Daniel (Write-In) – 756
–County Commissioner – Pct. 1
Andy Bonner (REP) – 1,764
Gerald D. Manning (Write-In) – 152
–County Tax Assessor-Collector
Lisa Stephenson Foree (REP) – 6,424 – unopposed
–County Sheriff
Jeremy Shipley (REP) – 6,466 – unopposed
–County Attorney
Brian Evans (REP) – 6,348 – unopposed
–District Judge, 77th Judicial District
Pat Simmons (REP) – 6,212 – unopposed
–Justice, 10th Court of Appeals District, Place 3
Al Scoggins (REP) – 6,015 – unopposed
–State Representative, District 8
Byron Cook – 6,021 – unopposed
–Member, State Board of Education, District 10
Tom Maynard (REP) – 5,714
Judy Jennings (DEM) – 1,527
–Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 6
Michael E. Keasler (REP) – 5,624
Robert Burns (DEM) – 1,425
Mark W. Bennett (LIB) – 193
–Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 5
Scott Walker (REP) – 5,671
Betsy Johnson (DEM) – 1,404
William Bryan Strange, III (LIB) – 141
Judith Sanders-Castro (GRN) – 49
–Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 2
Mary Lou Keel (REP) – 5,614
Lawrence “Larry” Meyers (DEM) – 1,434
Mark Ash (LIB) – 183
Adam King Blackwell Reposa (GRN) – 28
–Justice, Supreme Court, Place 9
Eva Guzman (REP) – 5,558
Savannah Robinson (DEM) – 1,461
Don Fulton (LIB) – 195
Jim Chisholm (GRN) – 58
–Justice, Supreme Court, Place 5
Paul Green (REP) – 5,701
Dori Contreras Garza (DEM) – 1,381
Tom Oxford (LIB) – 160
Charles E. Waterbury (GRN) – 39
–Justice, Supreme Court, Place 3
Debra Lehrmann (REP) – 5,666
Mike Westergren (DEM) – 1,380
Kathie Glass (LIB) – 209
Rodolfo Rivera Munoz (GRN) – 42
–Railroad Commissioner
Wayne Christian (REP) – 5,597
Grady Yarbrough (DEM) – 1,435
Mark Miller (LIB) – 214
Martina Salinas (GRN) – 73
–United States Representative, District 17
Bill Flores (REP) – 5,853
William Matta (DEM) – 1,352
Clark Patterson (LIB) – 163
–President and Vice President
Donald J. Trump / Mike Pence (REP) – 5,995
Hillary Clinton / Tim Kaine (DEM) – 1,461
Gary Johnson / William Weld (LIB) – 139
Jill Stein / Ajamu Barake (GRN) – 13
Write-In – 35
The state and national elections mirrored Freestone County’s results, with the Republican sweeping house.
Winning margins were much slimmer, however, with Republican candidates winning just of 50% of the statewide vote. In contrast, most Republican candidates garnered closer to 80% of ballots from Freestone County voters.
All in all, this year’s voter turnout was impressive, with 64% of registered voters going to the polls in Freestone County, casting a total of 7,694 ballots.
Looking at the last Presidential election, the 2012 race between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, this was an increase in more than 500 voters over a 4-year span.
Also on last week’s ballot were two propositions for the City of Streetman:
–City of Streetman – Prop. 1: Whether the City of Streetman Crime Control and Prevention District should be dissolved and the crime control and prevention district sales and use tax should be abolished.
For – 52 | Against – 38
–City of Streetman – Prop. 2: The adoption of a sales and use tax in the City of Streetman at a rate of one and one-half percent (1.50%).
For – 49 | Against – 42
