Primary results: Tuesday election goes to Moore, Kiel
The June 5 primary was a close race for some candidates and a sweeping win for others.
There was a total of 18,283 registered voters in Franklin County; 4,509 Republican ballots were cast, 867 Democratic ballots were cast, and four nonpartisan ballots were cast.
Current Probate Judge Barry Moore won the June 5 primary with 2,184 votes, while Joe Mansell received 1,388 votes.
“I am very humbled by the election results. I want to thank the voters for taking the time to vote, and I want to thank my family and friends for all of their help,” Moore said.
Local businessman Jamie Kiel won state representative for District 18 by a large margin against Tony Riley with 2,811 to 599.
“I think our message really resonated with the voters. I’m a small-town businessman. I’m accessible,” Kiel said. “But it wasn’t just me. I had an organized campaign with a lot of volunteers who made a difference.”
Ralph Winchester beat Mike Shewbart on the Democratic ticket for the Franklin County Board of Education District 5 position 176 votes to 120.
The current governor of Alabama Kay Ivey beat Tommy Battles by 2,126 to 1,820 in Franklin County. Scott Dawson received 431 votes, Bill Hightower received 29 votes, and Michael McCallister received 26 votes. On the Democratic governor ticket, Sue Bell Cobb won with 310 votes, and Walt Maddox came close with 289 votes.
The three Republican candidates for state senate District 6 ran a close race, but Larry Stutts pulled out on top with 1,635 votes. Steve Lolley received 1,389 votes, and Eric Aycock received 1,003 votes.
Joseph Siegelman won the Democratic attorney general position with 445 votes and will face Republican Alice Martin, who received 1,155 votes.
Rick Neighbors won the Democratic United States representative for the Fourth Congressional District race with 450 votes. Lee Auman received 223 votes. On the Republican ballot, Robert Aderholt received 3,413 votes, and Anthony Blackmon received 744 votes.
The local referendum – the two-year one cent tax renewal – had 3,406 yes votes and 1,554 no votes, meaning it passed with a 68.67 percent approval from the county.