There’s a new sheriff in town.
Republican Tyler Hooks will be the next Morgan County sheriff following a significant victory over Democrat Derrick Reid Tuesday.
Hooks won with 71.1 percent of the vote (9,293) to Reid’s 28.90 percent (3,778). Hooks was favored in every precinct except the Recreation Department precinct, where Reid took 59.59 percent of the vote (1,258).
Hooks beat Joseph Pritchett, Dietrich Derrick Roland, Kevin Berisko, Ryan Morgan, Kenny Stewart, and Bo Kelly in the Republican primary to continue his bid for sheriff. In January, Hooks will replace Robert Markley, who is retiring.
In other local races, Republican Bill Kurtz is keeping his District 5 Commissioner seat. He beat Diana Cossio in the Republican primary to pit him in Tuesday’s election against Democrat Claudia Regan Crenshaw. Kurtz handily beat Crenshaw with 82.36 percent of the vote (2,316); Crenshaw received 17.64 percent of the vote (496).
At the state level, Republican Brian Strickland will also keep his Senate District 42 seat after a significant victory over Democrat challenger Kacy Morgan. Strickland had 76.15 percent of the county’s vote (9,803), compared to Morgan’s 23.85 percent (3,070).
Strickland took significant victories in every precinct except the Recreation Department precinct, where Morgan was slightly favored with 53.99 percent of the vote (1,103).
For the U.S. House of Representatives District 10 seat, incumbent Mike Collins is getting another term. He beat Democratic contender Alexandra “Lexy” Doherty, snapping her bid to be the first woman elected to serve District 10.
Collins won in Morgan County with 76.1 percent of the vote (9,822), compared to Doherty’s 23.9 percent (3,084), though Doherty had a slight edge in the Recreation Department precinct with 53.74 percent of the vote (1,091). Across District 10, Collins won 63.1 percent of the vote (256,054), while Doherty received 36.9 percent (149,723).
Morgan County voters favored former President Donald Trump for the highly-anticipated presidential race. He won 72.74 percent of the county’s vote (9,587), over Vice President Kamala Harris’ 26.81 percent (3,533).
Harris was favored in the Recreation Department precinct with 59.04 percent of the vote (1,254), but Trump won handily in the other precincts.
Libertarian Chase Oliver and Green Party candidate Jill Stein did not account for a large portion of the vote, taking 0.37 percent (49) and 0.08 percent (10), respectively.
Candidates who ran unopposed include: District 114 State Representative Tim Fleming, a Republican; Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit District Attorney T. Wright Barksdale, a Republican; Clerk of Superior Court Jody Milford Higdon, a Republican; Tax Commissioner Wendy Coe, a Republican; Coroner Adam Carter, a Republican; District 3 Commissioner Ben Riden, a Republican who beat Steve Shepard and Frank Heusser in the primary; District 4 Commissioner Philipp von Hanstein, a Republican; Board of Education District 1 member Cheryl Bland, a Democrat; Board of Education District 2 member Joe Slaughter, a Republican; and Board of Education District 3 member Brad Hawk, a Republican.
Morgan County voters showed up in massive numbers for the 2024 General Election. A total of 13,278 voters cast their ballots in the election, amounting to an 82-percent voter turnout rate.
According to county manager Adam Mestres, 63 percent of registered voters voted by voting early or submitting absentee ballots.