NATCHEZ — This year’s county-wide elections have drawn a lot of interest from not only election-watchers but also local politicians with 54 candidates having thrown their hats into the ring for 15 Adams County races.

Retiring Adams County Circuit Clerk Eddie Walker said having 54 candidates for county-wide seats in Adams County is impressive.

“It is a lot (of candidates),” Walker said. “It is unusual. Some of that, too, is that there are a lot of people retiring, several retiring, more than usual, and that opens up the field to possibility.”

At least three of the 15 county-wide races on the Aug. 6 primary and Nov. 5 general election are wide open this year with Walker retiring, incumbent Adams County Tax Assessor Reynolds Atkins retiring and Adams County Tax Collector Peter Burns retiring.

Adams County Election Commission Chairman Larry Gardner said such a large field of candidates creates the opportunity for a big turnout in the elections.

“Typically, when you get a bunch of people who are not incumbents,” Gardner said, “you get a larger field that runs for that open seat, because it is considered more open and that generally brings out a better voter turn out, so I expect we will have a better turnout than we had four years ago.”

Indeed, six candidates are vying for the Adams County Circuit Clerk’s position, five candidates are vying for the Adams County Tax Collector’s, and three candidates are vying for the Adams County Tax Assessor’s office.

Contested races mean big turnout

Those races without incumbents, however, are not the only races drawing a large field of candidates in this year’s elections.

The Adams County Sheriff’s race has five candidates, and the Adams County Supervisor District 5 seat has six candidates, having that many local names on the ballots usually translates into big turnouts, Gardner said.

“Local elections usually bring out more people, other than a presidential election,” Gardner said. “Whenever you have a presidential election, you have a better turnout. So I would assume we will have a good turnout in 2020, but this election is good because you have statewide offices and all the county offices, except election commissioners, are running. That makes a big difference. You’ve got all those candidates who have friends, family supporters and they are all going to turn out to vote.”

While it is not possible to accurately predict a turnout volume of registered voters, Walker said he hopes for a good number.

“It is probably going to be around 50% give or take and again my idea is it should be more like 90 or 95%,” Walker said. “I’ve heard people say before, ‘My vote doesn’t count,’ and ‘It’s just one vote,’ and I a saw a race last year when one of the candidates won by one vote.”

All but two contested

All but two of the Adams County county-wide races in this year’s local elections are contested. The two that are not contested are the Adams County Surveyor position and the Adams County Chancery Clerk’s position.

The Chancery Clerk’s position did, however, have a challenger early on, but candidate Jack Blaney later withdrew his candidacy after initially filing as an independent candidate, challenging incumbent Brandi B. Lewis, who is a Democrat.

Blaney said he withdrew his candidacy due to family medical issues.

“With my siblings and I running a small family business, I had to make a decision on which direction I needed to go in,” Blaney said, “so, I decided to drop out of the race and focus on handling family business.”

Party races and independents

Johnny Junkin, a longtime Adams County Republican Executive Committee member, said he is watching the races closely this year and is surprised at how quiet things have been lately.

“When you’ve got 54 candidates out there,” Junkin said, “it is pretty quiet, which is not always a good thing or a bad thing. It’s just what it is.”

Junkin speculated the quietness this time of the year could be strategic.

“People’s attention spans are so short these days,” Junkin said, “by the time August gets here they won’t remember that you did anything, so that might not be a bad strategy to follow.”

Only three Republicans are running for county-wide seats, and almost all of the contested races have independent candidates so that the general election will have several challenged races.

“Independents will not be on the ballots until the November general election,” Walker said, “so there could be a party candidate and one or two independents running for the same spots.”

Election coverage

In the coming weeks, The Natchez Democrat will publish stories on candidates in each of the races that will be on the Aug. 6 party primaries Nov. 5 general election starting May 19 with the Adams County Sheriff’s candidates.

Below is a list of all the candidates for Adams County offices:

• For District 1 Adams County supervisor: Wes Middleton, Democrat; incumbent Mike Lazarus, Democrat.
• For District 2 Adams County supervisor: incumbent David Carter, independent; Kevin Wilson, Republican.
• For District 3 Adams County supervisor: Elizabeth Ann Ford, Democrat; incumbent Angela Gibson Hutchins, Democrat; Brandon McCranie, independent; Wilbert Whittley, independent
• For District 4 Adams County supervisor, Rita Brooks, Democrat; incumbent James “Rickey” Gray, Democrat; Jacquetta Mc-Cranie, independent.
• For District 5 Adams County supervisor, James H. Berry Jr., Democrat; Lee Blanton, independent; incumbent Calvin Butler, Democrat; Warren Gaines Sr., Democrat; Cleotha Marsaw, Republican; Kelly Thompson, Democrat.
• For Adams County Sheriff: Jerry Ford, Democrat; Tom Grennell, Democrat; Adam Wyatt Kirk, independent; incumbent Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten, Democrat; Brian Seyfarth, independent.
• For Adams County Northern District Constable: Deselle “Mody” Davis, Democrat; incumbent constable Willie B. Jones, Democrat; Diania Walker, Democrat.
• For Adams County Southern District Constable: Randy Freeman, Democrat; Chris Allen Logan, Democrat.
• For Southern District Justice Court Judge: Danny Barber, independent; Lee Ford, Democrat; incumbent Eileen Mary Maher, Democrat.
• For Northern District Justice Court Judge: incumbent Patricia F. Dunmore, Democrat; Eddie Jones, Democrat; Audrey B. Minor, Democrat.
• For Adams County Circuit Clerk: Daye Dearing, Democrat; Eva “E.J.” Givens, Democrat; Jennifer “Lady J.” Minor Johnson, Democrat; Charlie Vess, independent; Ricky Warren, independent; Jason Wisner, Democrat.
• For Adams County Chancery Clerk: incumbent Brandi B. Lewis, Democrat.
• For Adams County Coroner: Johnathan Hargrave, Democrat; incumbent James Lee, Democrat.
• Adams County Surveyor: Robert Dale Greene, Republican.
• For Adams County Tax Assessor: Douglas Atkins, independent; Larry L. Hughes, Democrat; Michael Pace, Democrat.
• Adams County Tax Collector: Patricia S. Lozon, Democrat; Rose Daniel Patterson, Democrat; Jim Smith, independent; Samuel Thomas, Democrat; Henry Watts, Democrat.
• For Adams County Prosecuting Attorney: Carmen Brooks Drake, Democrat; Lisa J. Chandler, Democrat; Lydia Roberta Blackmon, Democrat.