Donnie Grant to be next sheriff of Randolph County; voters almost evenly split in state house race
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In one of the most-anticipated results from Tuesday’s primary election for Randolph County voters, Donnie Grant, Jr. was overwhelmingly elected to be the county’s next sheriff.
Grant pulled 2,705 votes to Derek Farr’s 1,673 to win with nearly 62 percent of the vote to Farr’s 38 percent.
Grant, who has been the chief deputy of the Randolph County Sheriff’s Department for the past several years, will step into the sheriff’s role that was left up for grabs thanks to the upcoming retirement of current sheriff David Cofield.
Farr, who is the sitting county commissioner for District 4 and the current chairman of the commission, will retain his role on that governing body.
Grant ran against Cofield in 2022 and could not unseat the sheriff in that election, but his experience in the department was likely a critical factor in his win Tuesday.
State House of Representatives District 37
The county could not have been more evenly split in the Republican primary for state House of Representatives District 37. The three candidates vying to replace the retiring Bob Fincher were separated by a total of 30 votes among 4,454 ballots cast in the county.
Here is the remarkably close breakdown:
Five Points mayor Jeff Monroe – 1,413 votes
Wadley mayor Donna McKay – 1,391 votes
Randolph County Schools superintendent John Jacobs – 1,383 votes
Those votes are only one part of the picture, however, as voters in Chambers and Lee Counties will have a say in the ultimate outcome of who receives the Republican nomination for the seat. The winner will face Democrat Michelle French in the general election in November.
State Senate and US House of Representatives
Incumbent Randy Price held off a solid challenge from former senator Gerald Dial among county voters in the race for the District 13 State Senate seat. Price took just over 56 percent of the votes in the county, outpacing Dial 2,269-1,763.
As with the state house district 13 race, Randolph County’s vote is just one piece of the nomination. Vote totals in Cleburne, Clay, Chambers and Lee Counties will also help determine who wins the Republican nomination.
County voters also backed Mike Rogers in a big way for re-election to his U.S. House of Representatives seat. He drew 3,234 votes to Terri LaPoint’s 765.
Statewide races
County voters overwhelmingly supported former Auburn football coach and current U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville to be the state’s next governor. Tuberville received over 86 percent of the Randolph County vote with 3,569 ballots cast in his favor.
Here’s how the county voted in the other statewide races in the Republican primary:
Lt. Governor
John Wahl – 1,464 (39.54 percent)
Wes Allen – 1,166 (31.49 percent)
Attorney General
Jay Mitchell – 1,811 (49.74 percent)
Katherine Robertson – 1,017 (27.93 percent)
Secretary of State
Caroleen Dobson – 1,570 (47.09 percent)
Christopher Christian Horn – 1,127 (33.8 percent)
State treasurer
Young Boozer – 1,865 (54.58 percent)
Steve Lolley – 1,552 (45.42 percent)
State auditor
Andrew Sorrell – 2,292 (68.93 percent)
Derek Chen – 1,033 (31.07 percent)
Agriculture commissioner
Corey Hill – 1,468 (42.51 percent)
Jack Williams – 1,072 (31.05 percent)
If a candidate in any given race does not receive 50 percent plus one vote in the primary then the top two vote-getters in that election move on to the runoff election on Tuesday, June 16.
