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NATCHEZ — Incumbent Ward 4 Alderwoman Felicia Bridgewater Irving is the winner of the Democratic Party primary runoff held Tuesday after Municipal Election Commission members counted some 120 absentee ballots Wednesday morning.

Irving garnered a total of 310 votes to challenger Michael Calcoate’s 274 total votes.

After the votes were counted Tuesday night Irving had a 16-vote lead with 241 votes over challenger Michael Calcoate’s 225 votes, but 120 absentee ballots remained to be counted Wednesday.

A little more than 33% of registered voters in Ward 4 voted in Tuesday’s runoff; 584 votes were cast out of 1,771 people registered to vote in Ward 4.

Irving will now face Republican Challenger Brenda Floyd in the July 14 general election.

“I’m just so grateful and thoroughly thankful for the outcome of this election and family, friends and community members who had the faith and confidence in me to get the job done,” Irving said. “… We’ll be back on the ground tomorrow getting ready for July 14.”

Calcoate said he felt grateful for all the support he’d received throughout the record-long election process and was ready to rest and congratulate Irving.

“I’ve got no reason to be discouraged by these numbers,” Calcoate said of the results in Tuesday’s runoff election. “We ran a good race … and God is still on the throne and still in my heart.”