Guest wins Madison, headed to runoff

Incumbent U.S. Rep. Michael Guest won Madison County in Tuesday’s Republican primary but that wan’t enough to keep him from heading to a runoff on June 28 with a transplant Navy pilot from Maryland.

Guest, seeking a third term representing Mississippi’s Third Congressional District that includes most of Madison County, was trailing challenger Michael Cassidy, the Navy pilot, districtwide in a pack of three where neither candidate appeared Wedneady on track to receive 50 percent of the vote with counting still under way.

With 93 percent of precincts reporting districtwide at noon on Wednesday, Guest trailed Cassidy by a few hundred votes.

In Madison County, Guest, the former District Attorney, received 3,264 votes (50.6 percent) to Cassidy’s 2,908 votes (45.1 percent). Thomas Griffin received 279 votes and there were 43 write-ins. 

Districtwide, Guest had received 21,430 votes (47 percent) with Cassidy garnering 21,831 votes (48 percent). A third candidate, Thomas Griffin, had received 2,533 votes (6 percent). 

Cassidy, a Maryland native, now lives in Meridian. 

The winner of the June 28 runoff will in the November general election take on Democrat Shuwaski Young who won her primary without a challenger.

U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson cruised to a victory in the Democratic primary Tuesday and will face off against the winner of the Republican primary runoff between Brian Flowers and Ronald Elder. A large part of western Madison County is in the Second District.

Elsewhere, in North Mississippi, incumbent U.S. Rep. Trent Kelly of Mississippi’s First Congressional District, overwhelmingly won the Republican primary and will face Democrat Diane Black in November. She did not have a challenger.

In South Mississippi, incumbent Steven Palazzo received a majority of the votes in a crowded primary but will face Jackson County Sheriff Mike Ezell in a runoff. The winner of the runoff will take on former Hattiesburg Mayor Johnny DuPree in the November general election.

The primary runoff elections are set for June 28.