Hood, Hosemann, Dupree among Mississippi primary winners

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi Democrats and Republicans were deciding their nominees for governor and several other state and local offices in primary elections Tuesday.

In the Democratic primary for governor, Attorney General Jim Hood vanquished seven candidates, including second-place finisher Michael Brown. On the Republican side, Tate Reeves was leading former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Bill Waller Jr. and state Rep. Robert Foster, but it was unclear in the early hours after polls closed if Reeves would avoid a runoff.

GOP voters also weighed in on contested primaries for lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state and treasurer, while Democrats picked nominee for secretary of state. Voters in some parts of the state saw contested primaries for public service commissioner and transportation commissioner.

Voters were also deciding nominees for state legislative and county races.

Runoffs will be Aug. 27 in any races in which a candidate doesn't get a majority Tuesday, while winners advance to the Nov. 5 general election.

The key races:

GOVERNOR

Reeves and Hood, clear favorites for governor in their respective parties from the outset, focused their fire on each other. Other candidates sought to derail them. Reeves said Hood is a liberal tied to the national Democratic party. Waller presented himself as a pragmatist who would do more to improve roads and extend health insurance coverage. Foster gained attention when he told a female reporter that she could not ride in his truck to report on his campaign unless she were chaperoned by a male colleague. Hood argued that a less partisan approach would benefit Mississippians, and he criticized Republican tax cuts as aimed at corporations, as opposed to his own proposal to remove the sales tax on groceries.

LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR

Three-term Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann easily beat little known Shane Quick of Lake Cormorant in the Republican primary. Hosemann will face Democratic state Rep. Jay Hughes in November. Hughes was unopposed.

ATTORNEY GENERAL

Republicans were choosing among three candidates: state Treasurer Lynn Fitch, longtime Republican activist Andy Taggart and state Rep. Mark Baker. Baker promised an activist agenda on hotbutton topics such as immigration and religious freedom, while he also says he would eliminate contracts with outside lawyers that he has long criticized. Taggart noted his experience as chief of staff for former Gov. Kirk Fordice and says he's running to fight illegal drugs after one of his sons took his own life after struggling with drugs. Fitch said she wants to fight opioids and human trafficking and protect vulnerable Mississippians from harm. The Republican nominee will face Jennifer Riley Collins, a military veteran and former director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi.

SECRETARY OF STATE

Former Hattiesburg Mayor Johnny Dupree, the unsuccessful Democratic nominee for governor in 2011, cruised to victory over Lexington resident Maryra Hodges Hunt. The Republican primary between state Sen. Michael Watson and southern district Public Service Commissioner Sam Britton was more contentious, with the two frequently trading accusations. Britton proposed to expand the office's role in promoting economic growth. Watson wanted the secretary of state to take over issuing driver's licenses and has proposed to start screening for noncitizens trying to register to vote. Dupree proposes a no-excuses early voting period.

TREASURER

Investment manager and department store heir David Mcrae won the Republican nomination for Mississippi treasurer. The 38-year-old Ridgeland resident beat state Sen. Eugene Buck Clarke on Tuesday in Mcrae's second try for the office. Mcrae will face Addie Lee Green of Bolton, who was unopposed for the Democratic nomination, in the Nov. 5 general election. Current Treasurer Lynn Fitch, a Republican, is running for attorney general. Mcrae says that treasurer is a good office for him to use his investment experience. He has spent heavily from his own money, loaning his campaign nearly $1.7 million through the end of July.

PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSIONER

Northern district Democrat Brandon Presley is unopposed. In the central district, Republicans voted for 2015 nominee Brent Bailey over Mississippi Development Authority employee Nic Lott. Central district Democrats were choosing among frequent candidate Dorothy "Dot" Benford, current commission employee Ryan Brown, lawyer Bruce Burton, and Jackson City Councilman De'keither A. Stamps. In the southern district, former Ocean Springs Mayor Connie Moran beat Sugar Stallings of Biloxi for the Democratic nomination, while Pascagoula Mayor Dane Maxwell vanquished Kiln contractor Kelvin Schulz.

TRANSPORTATION COMMISSIONER

The northern district featured a five-way Republican battle among Trey Bowman, John Caldwell, E.A. Hathcock, Jeremy Martin, and Geoffrey Yoste. The winner faces Democrat Joey Grist, who is unopposed. In the central district, state Sen. Willie Simmons defeated Edwards Mayor Marcus Wallace for the Democratic nod, while Brandon Mayor Butch Lee sought the GOP nomination against Ricky Pennington Jr. of Vicksburg. In the southern district, incumbent Tom King was challenged in the Republican primary by former state Sen. Tony Smith and former Mississippi Department of Transportation employee Chad Toney. No Democrats qualified in the southern district.