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Mississippi Statewide Election Wrap

With 70 percent of precincts reporting, Mississippi Attorney General [ Democrat ] Jim Hood, seeking his fourth term, led challenger Mike Hurst by a margin of 54 percent to 46 percent.

Republican businessman Sam Britton of Laurel has won the southern district seat on the Mississippi Public Service Commission.

Britton Tuesday beat Hattiesburg oilman Tom Blanton and Reform Party member Lonny Kenneth Spence, both of Hattiesburg.

The 58-year-old Britton touted his financial credentials and experience, saying he would work to hold down how much Mississippi Power Co. customers will have to pay for the $6.4 billion power plant the company is building in Kemper County.
However, Britton doesn't take as oppositional a stance against the company as Blanton, who sued multiple times, sparking the Supreme Court to order refunds.

Britton replaces Steve Renfroe of Moss Point, who doesn't publicly identify with a party.
Renfroe chose not to seek election after Gov. Phil Bryant appointed him to serve a partial term.

Republican Tom King of Hattiesburg has won a second term on Mississippi's Transportation Commission.

The 68-year-old King was beating Democrat Chad Toney of Smithdale and Reform Party member Sheranda Atkinson of New Augusta.

King, who served 19 years in the Legislature, is a former historic restoration consultant.
King favors more funding for the agency and said he wants to work with the business community and lawmakers to find it.

Toney sought election saying he wanted to increase construction quality of roads and bridges to make them last longer, saying better work would remove the need for more money. He ran unsuccessfully for the same post in 2007.

Democrat Brandon Presley of Nettleton has won election to a third term on the Mississippi Public Service Commission.
Presley beat Republican Mike Maynard of Tupelo.

The 38-year-old Presley has maintained a populist stance on the three-member utility regulatory body.
He's been a consistent opponent of the $6.4 billion power plant that Mississippi Power Co. is building in Kemper County.
Presley has also sought to stretch the commission's regulatory authority to electrical cooperatives.

Presley will be the only returning incumbent on the commission.
Republican Lynn Posey of Union Church didn't seek re-election.

Mike Tagert, a Starkville Republican, has won his second full term on Mississippi's Transportation Commission.

The 45-year-old beat Democrat Danny Woods, a Winona mortician.

Tagert, formerly administrator of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Development Authority, lost a special election bid for Congress earlier this year.
He says the Transportation Department needs more money to maintain the roads and bridges it has built.
He says he wants to develop a better plan for the future.

Woods, who ran unsuccessfully for Montgomery County Coroner as a Democrat in 2011, said he wanted the state to do more to beautify its highways.
He questioned whether the state needed more money when lawmakers were borrowing money to build an aquarium in Gulfport.

Republican Tate Reeves has won a second term as Mississippi lieutenant governor.

The 41-year-old defeated three challengers Tuesday, including Democrat Tim Johnson, a former Republican state senator who switched parties before this year's election.

The other candidates were Libertarian Ron Williams and the Reform Party's Rosa B. Williams.

Johnson criticizes Reeves for opposing Medicaid expansion, and he says Republicans had failed to fully fund public schools.

Reeves says education is receiving more money than ever and the state can't afford to put more people on Medicaid.
He also says that as presiding officer of the state Senate, he has helped Mississippi create a business-friendly atmosphere.

Republican Stacey Pickering has won a third term as Mississippi state auditor.
He defeated Democrat Jocelyn "Joce" Pepper Pritchett and the Reform Party's Lajena Walley.

Pickering is a former state senator from Jones County.
Pritchett owns a civil-engineering firm and was making her first run for public office.

Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith has been elected to a second term as Mississippi agriculture commissioner.
She defeated Democrat Addie Lee Green and the Reform Party's Cathy L. Toole.

Hyde-Smith is a former state senator from Brookhaven and has worked in the cattle business.

Republican Phil Bryant has won a second term as Mississippi governor, easily defeating two candidates who ran low-budget campaigns.

Democrat Robert Gray is a long-haul truck driver who spent just over $3,000 to run for Mississippi's top job.

The Reform Party's Shawn O'Hara, who has unsuccessfully sought several statewide offices the past 20 years, spent about $300 to challenge Bryant.

The 60-year-old [Democrat] governor spent about $2.7 million.
He campaigned by saying he has focused on creating jobs and making specific changes to education policy, such as creating charter schools and emphasizing reading skills in early grades.

Republican Delbert Hosemann has won a third term as Mississippi secretary of state.

Hosemann Tuesday defeated Democrat Charles Graham and the Reform Party's Randy Walker.

As Mississippi's top elections official, Houseman has worked in recent years to implement a law that requires voters to show government-issued photo identification at the polls.

Republican Lynn Fitch has won a second term as Mississippi state treasurer.

Fitch Tuesday defeated the Reform Party's Viola V. McFarland.
No Democrat was in the race.

Fitch survived a tough challenge in the Republican primary in August from David McRae, an attorney who criticized her management of a state-sponsored college savings plan.
Fitch says she has been a good steward of public finances.

Two school funding proposals were also on the ballot.