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Covington County voters went to the polls Tuesday, March 5, to participate in a primary election featuring both local races and choosing party candidates for president.

Several local races were decided outright while others will go to a runoff scheduled for April 16.

Among the local winners was Michael Smith who defeated incumbent Greg White on the Republican ballot in the race for Covington County Commission Chairman. Smith received 56 percent of the vote to White’s 44 percent.

“I want to thank everyone who came out to vote, regardless of who they voted for,” Smith said. “I’m looking forward to this new task. I feel both Greg and I ran clean campaigns and we spoke earlier about making a smooth transition. We have a lot of work to do between now and then. I’m thankful for this opportunity to serve the people of Covington County.”

Another outright winner was in the race for County Commission, Dist. 1 where Ben Courson received 61 percent of the vote to Ben Cooper’s 39 percent.

“It’s been a long few months and I couldn’t have done it with my family and friends who supported me,” Courson said. “I look forward to working with the other commissioners to get things done for Covington County.”

Three local races will go to a runoff. The Dist. 2 seat on the County Commission will be decided between Robbie Weaver, who received 49 percent of the vote, and Steven King who finished with 28 percent. Matthew McClellan received 23 percent in the District.

The County Commission Dist. 3 seat will also go to a runoff with incumbent Lynne Holmes advancing with 47 percent and Jimmy Grissett receiving 31 percent. Larry Stallings received 21 percent.

Place 2 on the Covington County Board of Education will see a runoff between incumbent Jimmy Rodgers who earned 38 percent of the vote and Jed Blackwell who received 42 percent. Ron Yates received 19 percent.

In Alabama’s new First Congressional District, Covington County showed strong support for Barry Moore, giving him 74 percent of the vote. Jerry Carl received 26 percent of the county vote.

Covington County Republican voters showed strong support for former President Donald Trump, giving him 91 percent of the vote. The next closest candidate was Nikki Haley with 6 percent. On the Democrat ballot, President Joe Biden received 89 percent of the vote.

To find full results from Covington County voters in Tuesday’s primary election, visit https://www.andalusiastarnews.com/2024/03/05/covington-county-primary-election-results-march-5-2024/.