What Forrest, Lamar County voters need to know for Aug. 29 runoff election

Lici Beveridge, Hattiesburg American
·2 min read
There are three races in the Forrest County runoffs and one in the Lamar County runoff on Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
There are three races in the Forrest County runoffs and one in the Lamar County runoff on Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

A few candidates in the Republican and Democratic primary elections will be back on the ballots again on Aug. 29 for runoff elections.

One of the closest races came between two of the candidates seeking the Forrest County Tax Collector seat. It came down to Forrest County Supervisor David Hogan and Zac Howell, who works in the Tax Collector's office, with only two votes separating the two.

The current tax collector, Barbara Hudson, was appointed to the office in December by the Forrest County Board of Supervisors following the death of her husband to fill the rest of his term. She is not seeking reelection.

Longtime legislator Billy Hudson was elected to the tax collector position in 2019 after serving three terms in the Mississippi Senate and two as a Forrest County supervisor. He died Nov. 30.

There are two other positions in Forrest County that are still contested. The District 1 Supervisor race, which will be vacated by Hogan in January, will see frontrunner Gentry Mordica facing off against Wesley Clark, who edged out two other opponents in the Republican primary. The Justice Court District 4 race resulted in a runoff between Democrats incumbent Robert Davis and former assistant district attorney DeCarlo Hood.

Lamar County has one position that was not decided in the Republican primary election. The District 1 Constable race, which had seven candidates, was narrowed to contenders Jason Ashley and Lance Emfinger.

Polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Aug. 29.

Find your precinct: Where to vote in Forrest County for the runoff election

Precincts list: Where to vote in Lamar County for the runoff election

Forrest County

Tax Collector (Republican)

  • David Hogan

  • Zac Howell

Supervisor, District 1 (Republican)

  • Wesley Clark

  • Gentry Mordica

Justice Court Judge, District 4 (Democrat)

  • Robert Davis

  • DeCarlo C. Hood

Lamar County

Constable, District 1 (Republican)

  • Jason Ashley

  • Lance Emfinger

Do you have a story to share? Contact Lici Beveridge at lbeveridge@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @licibev or Facebook at facebook.com/licibeveridge.

This article originally appeared on Hattiesburg American: Forrest, Lamar County MS runoff elections update