AP and staff reports

Adams&160;County’s low voter turnout was not a surprise Tuesday during a state primary that clearly named Republican George Bush and Democrat Al Gore as the winners.

&uot;I don’t think it’s voter apathy,&uot; said Pat Dickens, Adams County chairman for the Republican Party. &uot;(Last Tuesday’s primary) just made people believe it wasn’t important, although it is.&uot;

Out of 22,307 registered voters only 2,800 — or 12.55 percent — cast ballots Tuesday. This included 1,770 Democrat ballots and 1,030 Republican ballots.

Adams County residents also submitted 107 absentee ballots, including 43 Republican and 64 Democrat.

As expected, Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Al Gore swept Mississippi’s delegates. In Adams County alone, Bush received 89 percent or 915 of the Republican votes and Gore received 94 percent or 1,653 of the Democratic vote.

Mississippi was one of six Southern states with primaries made less dramatic by the withdrawal last week of major presidential contenders. Gore was expected to take the state’s 54 Democratic delegates and Bush the GOP’s 33 delegates long before Bill Bradley and John McCain abandoned their presidential bids.

Bush and Gore won Louisiana’s primary as well. Louisiana has 29 delegate votes on the Republican side and 61 on the Democratic side.

In Adams County Bradley received only 82 votes, and McCain received 59.

The most high profile of the races on the ballot was in the 4th Congressional District, which Republicans hoped to reclaim from Democrats this fall. District Attorney Dunn Lampton, who beat former congressional aide Geoffrey Yoste in the GOP primary, said he is ready to challenge first term Democratic Rep. Ronnie Shows on Nov. 7. Shows was unopposed.

&uot;It gets harder,” Lampton said during a break from mingling with supporters at his victory party in Jackson. ”Beating a first term incumbent congressman in a presidential election year is a doable proposition. We’ll enjoy tonight and then we begin work tomorrow.”Republicans lost the seat two years ago and both Lampton and Yoste had attacked Shows’ voting record and touted their own conservative platforms.

On the Republican side, Lampton received 56 percent, or 540 votes, and Yoste received 43 percent, or 420 votes.

U.S. Sen. Trent Lott, seeking his third six-year term, had no Republican opponent.

Lott, seeking his third six-year term, had no Republican opponent but five Democrats were competing for the chance to face him in November.

Troy Brown of Itta Bena, who ran for lieutenant governor last year, apparently won a spot in the April 4 runoff. He was trailed by Rickey Cole of Ovett, a Democratic leader, with votes still being counted.