Smith 'overwhelmed' at support Thomas County gave her in runoff win

Pat Donahue, Thomasville Times-Enterprise, Ga.
·1 min read

Jun. 22—THOMASVILLE — Superior Court Judge-elect Catherine Mims Smith was back at work Wednesday as an assistant district attorney.

Smith beat Lowndes County attorney William Whitesell 7,392-5,975 to win the Southern Judicial Circuit judgeship left open with Judge James Hardy's retirement.

"It is a big relief," Smith said. "Campaigning has been more difficult than I ever imagined."

The circuit spans five counties, and Lowndes is the most populous. But Thomas County voters overwhelmingly favored Smith. Smith outpolled Whitesell by a commanding 4,181-772, allowing her to overcome Whitesell's nearly 2,000-vote advantage in Lowndes County.

"I was absolutely overwhelmed to see how Thomas County turned out yesterday," Smith said. "I think that made all the difference in the race. I was pleased to see the support we got circuit-wide."

For more, see Saturday's Times-Enterprise or return to timesenterprise.com.