Who won on Tuesday?

Obviously, Governor Barbour is the big winner.  He gets to appoint another chancellor and set the agenda for the 2011 general election in the 10th Chancery District.

The big loser?  We won't know until all of the write-in votes are tabulated, but several factors need consideration: dollars spent versus votes received, and whether that same candidate will run in 2011.  2011 has a lot of other races up for votes.  That's going to determine whether these people will run again.  In Forrest County, we'll have at least one Justice Court position open, as well as this same Chancery Court position.

The voters have spoken...

I'm not going to finish Mo Udall's famous quote after he got voted out of office.  The fact of the matter is, yesterday's election was handled about as well as can be expected.  I think the candidates generally behaved admirably under difficult circumstances.  Judge Thomas polled about 28,000 votes, and the write-in candidates collectively polled 20,000 votes.  The biggest wins for Judge Thomas came in Pearl River County and Lamar County, where he beat all the rest of us by a 2-1 margin.  The write-ins only carried Forrest County.

I want to thank every one who voted yesterday, especially those who voted for me and those who supported me.  I will be running for judge again.  The governor will now be appointing a chancellor for the district, and we will have a special election during next year's general election.  We may in fact be looking at what will be the most expensive judicial election in Mississippi history next year.  Deborah Gambrell is already planning her run.  Tom Bates is retiring from Justice Court and will not be running next year.  Gay Polk-Payton will be throwing her hat in the ring for Justice Court.  I'll keep working hard for my clients and working hard with my constituents and fellow candidates.  Hopefully, we can hash out some issues behind the scenes before qualifying in May, 2011.

I'll continue to post here for the next few weeks.  Thanks so much for your support and interest.

Voting

Just voted at the Camp School Precinct.  The school district did a nice job renovating the meeting room.  It was lovely to see JB VanSlyke's photo on the wall; a great reminder of his wonderful public service as the school board attorney.  It almost seems a different world when I first met JB.  I ran into my friend Don Hinton and my former client Gregor Kay at the voting station.  I was the 37th voter today at Camp, at 8:05 am.  This is going to be a huge election.

Listening to Delbert Hosemann on Paul Gallo's show right now, describing how the write-in votes will be counted.  I had a painless experience writing my name in; the touch-pad is well-tuned.  I just received a call from a friend of mine asking me precisely where and how to write-in my name.  I expect to receive many such calls.  If you're in Forrest, Perry, Lamar, Marion, or Pearl River Counties, look for James H.C. Thomas, Jr., on the ballot, and select the write-in blank below his name.  Type my name (or as close to it as you can manage), and you will be rewarded hopefully by my election to the judiciary, God willing.

Thanks to all the voters I've met this election.  God bless each of us in the exercise of our sovereign franchise.

Final thoughts before the election

This has been a truly exciting few weeks.  I'm running for judge, working on a Fifth Circuit appeal, and working hard on keeping my wife happy.  I'd like to thank everyone who has made this effort possible and worthwhile, including my campaign manager Bill Adcox and his lovely mother, and his charming wife Melanie.  Also, thanks to Supertalk, Farley, Savanna, Eddy Hubbard, Carsten Cagle, Vistaprint, Fred Drews, Ernestine Alderman, Rhua Dale Williams, SuzAnne Burkhalter, Billy Burkhalter, Chris Hackbarth, Lou Ellen Adams, Leslie Wilson, W. Heath Hillman, Chad Shook, Deborah Gambrell, Sheila Smallwood, John Smallwood, Ron Doleac, Maura McLaughlin, Carol Ann Bustin, Mike Barefield, Nancy Stokes, Leigh Berry, and the fine people at William Carey University who stepped up to the plate to organize a candidate's forum.  Thanks also to WDAM, who did not go out of their way to make me look bad on TV (I know it could be really easy).

Finally, thanks to my lovely and talented wife, Tina Ignatiev.  She has been really supportive of my efforts, and I hope that I will justify her confidence in me.  Let's all get out there and vote for improved accessibility and accountability in our Chancery Courts.