Boyd wins District 9 Mississippi Senate seat; Republicans dominate state races

Published 10:33 am Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Joey East will continue his family’s tradition as Lafayette County’s next sheriff, but Nicole Akins Boyd will also be continuing her family’s tradition as a member of the Mississippi Legislature.

Boyd defeated outgoing Lafayette County District 1 Supervisor Kevin Frye to claim the District 9 seat in the state senate in Tuesday’s general election. It is a return to Jackson for Boyd, who worked in the state’s attorney general’s office earlier in her career.

“I am so humbled by the trust the Lafayette and Panola County voters placed in me to represent them in our State Senate,” Boyd said in a comment to the EAGLE. “I am grateful for the prayers and the amazing volunteer support throughout this campaign and for the confidence of the voters at the polls yesterday. Thank you, Lafayette and Panola County.”

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Boyd’s father, Noal Akins, served in the Mississippi House of Representatives from 2004 to 2012.

Boyd defeated Frye by nearly 17 percent. Boyd took home over 10,000 votes, while Frye managed over 7,317. Boyd also won Lafayette County by 11 percent.

Reeves wins governor’s race in Republican sweep

In what was touted as one of the closest governor elections in Mississippi’s recent history, the Republican party came out on top.

Republican candidate Tate Reeves defeated Democratic candidate Jim Hood to become the next governor of Mississippi in Tuesday’s general election. Reeves had been leading Hood by only three points in some of the latest polling data heading into Tuesday, but eventually defeated the current state attorney general by more than six percent of the vote and nearly 50,000 votes.

Joining Reeves is fellow Republican Delbert Hosemann, who defeated Jay Hughes by more than 20 percent of the vote. There was talks of a possible split among the top leaders in the state, but Hosemann’s early victory on Tuesday ensured a clean sweep for the GOP in Mississippi.

Other key Republican wins included Michael Watson winning the Secretary of State race over Democrat Johnny DupRee, David McRea winning big over Addie Lee Green to become the next state treasurer and Lynn Fitch replacing Hood as the state’s next attorney general with her win over Jennifer Riley Collins.

Andy Gipson won his re-election bid to remain the state’s agriculture commissioner, defeating Rickey Cole by nearly 20 percent. Shad White won the state auditor’s race as he ran unopposed in Tuesday’s election.