Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Western Washington County Selects Cruz In Primary
NATIONS RE-ELECTED DISTRICT JUDGE
FARMINGTON — Voters in western Washington County cast more votes for Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz like the rest of Washington County but did not fall in line with the state in the Republican primary election.
Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz received the most votes in Washington County, 8,890 or 31 percent. Marco Rubio finished a close second with 8,703 votes (30 percent) and candidate Donald Trump came in third with 7,968 votes (28 percent).
Statewide for the Republican primary, Trump received the most votes. Trump received 33 percent of the votes, Cruz 31 percent and Rubio 25 percent.
There are 26 precincts in western Washington County with 14,365 registered voters. Most registered voters go to polling places in Farmington, Prairie Grove and Lincoln. Registered voters in other precincts vote in smaller communities, such as Cane Hill, Rheas Mill and Morrow.
Of registered voters in western Washington County, 4,046 people, or 28 percent, voted in the Republican primary election, according to results from the Washington County Election Commission.
Cruz received the most votes in those 26 precincts, 1,392 ( 34 percent). Trump received 1,214 votes (30 percent), Rubio 978 votes (24 percent), Ben Carson 251 votes (6 percent) and Gov. John Kasich 133 votes (3 percent).
Hillary Clinton, running to be named the Democratic nominee for president, swept Washington County and the rest of the state. In Washington County, Clinton received 9,110 votes (51 percent) and Bernie Sanders received 8,507 (48 percent).
Statewide, Clinton received
144,580 votes (66 percent) and Sanders 64,868 ( 30 percent).
For western Washington County, 1,492 people voted in the Democratic primary election. Clinton received 850 votes (57 percent) and Sanders received 613 votes (41 percent).
Washington County voters also re-elected District Judge Graham Nations to serve another term for Washington County District Judge, Division 2. Nations, 44, defeated Casey Copeland, 39, in the March 1 primary election. Nations received 22,108 votes (57 percent) to Copeland’s 16,361 votes (43 percent).
“My family and I are overwhelmed and honored that voters are allowing me to continue to do the job I’ve done for four more years,” Nations said Thursday.
Washington County will have four district judge positions beginning Jan. 1, 2017. Three incumbents were re-elected for the other judge positions: Jeff Harper, Casey Jones and Bill Storey. They did not have opponents.
Nations said the four district judges in Washington County will meet to draw up dockets. He expects he will continue to preside over district courts in Prairie Grove, Lincoln and Farmington.
In another race of local interest, Joel Maxwell was re-elected as Justice of the Peace District 13. Maxwell received 1,172 votes ( 74 percent) and challenger Laurie Roy-Smith, of Lincoln, received 865 votes ( 42 percent).
Voters casting ballots at Main Street Baptist Church in Farmington last week had a few comments to make about the election.
Joyce Fowler of Farmington said changes need to be made in the country.
“This is the third time my job has left the U.S.,” Fowler said. “Because of that, I think something needs to change. We need to make the United States stronger.”
Chris Adams, 19, of Farmington, was waiting in line to vote for the first time. He said he considered it his duty to vote but also was there to vote against Trump.
“Trump as a president is a big concern of mine,” Adams said. “I think it’s surprising that someone like Trump could do so well.”
Carsen Brink, 18, a student at the University of Arkansas, said she believes Trump’s popularity “shows people are tired of politics as usual.”
Kelly Melancon, also of Farmington, said one of her concerns is that the country elect a president with a “level head.” In past elections, Melancon said she has voted in the primary election to go along with the leading Republican candidate.
This year, she said she was voting to try to stop the leading Republican candidate.