Voters: Parker staying, Grimes going

By Scott Wright

CENTRE — County Commissioner Kimball Parker held off a fierce challenge from local plumber Don Stowe in yesterday’s Democratic primary election. Two-term circuit Judge Kevin Grimes was not so fortunate, losing his race to challenger Jeremy Taylor.

Also, nearly 500 voters in Cedar Bluff overwhelmingly chose to allow the continuation of alcohol sales inside the town limits. The final count was 365 yes votes to 113 no votes. 

In the Democratic race for governor, DeKalb County native Ron Sparks, the state’s commissioner of Agriculture, resoundingly defeated U.S. Rep. Artur Davis. Statewide, Sparks, received 62 percent of the vote.

In Cherokee County, the total was even higher. Sparks garnered 2,025 votes (80 percent) to only 511 for Davis.  

In the Republican race for governor, two-year college chancellor Bradley Byrne will face either Greenville businessman Tim James or Tuscaloosa physician Robert Bentley in the July 13 runoff. Byrne secured his spot in the runoff with 28 percent of the vote tally, while Bentley and James were within around 200 votes of each other with 99 percent of precincts reporting.  

A recount is expected, in order to determine Byrne’s opponent. 

Inside the county, Bentley had 400 votes. Byrne picked 247 and James received 292. Roy Moore received 398 votes in Cherokee County but finished far behind the other three GOP candidates statewide. 

Taylor, the former Cherokee-DeKalb assistant district attorney who recently relocated to Centre to qualify as a candidate for circuit judge’s slot, lost to Grimes by a wide margin in Grimes’ home county of Cherokee.  

However, name recognition in larger DeKalb County, Taylor’s place of origin, paid off for the 29-year-old, who stretched the final margin of victory to over 1,000 votes, 4,057 to 2,919. 

Parker defeated Stowe by 108 votes, 1,405 to 1,297. 

In other statewide races, Cherokee County voters in the Democratic primary settled on attorney general candidate James Anderson (967) over challengers Giles Perkins (613) and Michele Nicrosi (501). Statewide, Anderson won the race with less than 50 percent of the vote and will face Perkins in a runoff. 

On the Republican side, county voters picked former lobbyist Luther Strange over incumbent Attorney General Troy King, 793 to 523. Across Alabama, Strange’s lead was much wider.  

George Wallace, Jr. lost his bid to become state treasurer, losing to GOP challenger Young Boozer. Boozer will face Democrat Charley Grimsley in November.