Escambia County primary election, 2008
Various county-wide elected offices, three of five Escambia County Commission and ECUA seats, various Circuit Court judgeships, and two Escambia County School Board seats will be contested in elections to be held in 2008. Primary elections were held on August 26, 2008, with elected candidates proceeding to the general election, to be held November 4.
Incumbents are marked by (i).
County-wide offices
Escambia County Sheriff
Republican primary
| ●REP | David Morgan | 13,565 | 56.7% |
|---|---|---|---|
| ●REP | Ron McNesby (i) | 10,354 | 43.3% |
Democratic primary
| ●DEM | Larry Scapecchi | 10,765 | 65.4% |
|---|---|---|---|
| ●DEM | Samuel E. Lucas | 5,686 | 34.6% |
Superintendent of Schools
Republican primary
| ●REP | Malcolm Thomas |
|---|
Republicans Jim Paul, the incumbent, as well as Ronnie Arnold and Alan Scott, pre-filed for the race but later withdrew. As no other Republican candidates qualified, Malcolm Thomas advanced by default to the general election.
Democratic primary
| ●DEM | Claudia Brown-Curry | 9,256 | 54.8% |
|---|---|---|---|
| ●DEM | Cary Stidham | 4,741 | 28.1% |
| ●DEM | Myra L. Simmons | 2,880 | 17.1% |
Elected by default
Clerk of the Circuit Court
| ●REP | Ernie Lee Magaha (i) |
|---|
As no other candidates qualified for the office, Magaha was reelected by default.
Property Appraiser
| ●DEM | Chris Jones (i) |
|---|
As no other candidates qualified for the office, Jones was reelected by default.
Tax Collector
| ●DEM | Janet Holley (i) |
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As no other candidates qualified for the office, Holley was reelected by default.
Supervisor of Elections
| ●REP | David H. Stafford (i) |
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As no other candidates qualified for the office, Stafford was reelected by default.
Escambia County Commission
District 1
Republican primary
| ●REP | Wilson Robertson | 4,752 | 80.8% |
|---|---|---|---|
| ●REP | Mike Whitehead (i) | 1,129 | 19.2% |
Republican John D. Dale pre-filed for the race but later withdrew.
Democratic primary
| ●DEM | Stephen M. Davidson |
|---|
As no other Democratic candidates qualified, Stephen M. Davidson advanced by default to the general election.
District 3
Republican primary
| ●REP | Jacob Pawelski |
|---|
As no other Republican candidates qualified, Jacob Pawelski advanced by default to the general election.
Democratic primary
| ●DEM | Marie K. Young (i) | 3,391 | 62.3% |
|---|---|---|---|
| ●DEM | Judy Cook | 945 | 17.4% |
| ●DEM | Russ Swinney | 685 | 12.6% |
| ●DEM | Rev. Clinton E. Powell, Sr. | 423 | 7.8% |
Democrats Hugh G. King, Sr. and Gerald McKenzie pre-filed for the race but later withdrew.
Third-party and unaffiliated candidates
| ●NPA | John R. "Dooley" Johnson |
|---|
As a candidate unaffiliated with a political party, John R. "Dooley" Johnson advanced automatically to the general election.
District 5
Republican primary
| ●REP | Kevin W. White (i) | 3,655 | 57.5% |
|---|---|---|---|
| ●REP | Packy Mitchell | 1,668 | 26.2% |
| ●REP | Chris Washler | 541 | 8.5% |
| ●REP | Randall E. McCrackin | 492 | 7.7% |
Democratic primary
| ●DEM | Jim Barnett | 1,690 | 51.5% |
|---|---|---|---|
| ●DEM | John F. Hartman | 1,594 | 48.5% |
Democrat Georgette Harris pre-filed for the race but later withdrew.
Third-party and unaffiliated candidates
Aaron M. Schmidt (no party affiliation) pre-filed for the race but later withdrew.
Emerald Coast Utilities Authority
District 1
Universal primary
As the only candidates to qualify were Republican, this race was a "universal primary" in which voters of all party affiliations were entitled to vote, and the winner of the race was elected without the need to run in the general election.
| ●REP | Elizabeth S. Campbell | 3,688 | 43.2% |
|---|---|---|---|
| ●REP | Logan Fink (i) | 3,417 | 40.0% |
| ●REP | Harlan Jennings | 1,431 | 16.8% |
District 3
Republican primary
| ●REP | Joshua Joscelyn |
|---|
As no other Republican candidates qualified, Joshua Joscelyn advanced by default to the general election.
Democratic primary
| ●DEM | Elvin McCorvey (i) | 3,862 | 72.9% |
|---|---|---|---|
| ●DEM | Benell English | 1,434 | 27.1% |
District 5
Universal primary
As the only candidates to qualify were Republican, this race was a "universal primary" in which voters of all party affiliations were entitled to vote, and the winner of the race was elected without the need to run in the general election.
| ●REP | Larry Walker (i) | 7,459 | 76.1% |
|---|---|---|---|
| ●REP | Barry B. Tweedie | 2,338 | 23.9% |
Escambia County School Board
Escambia County School Board seats are non-partisan and unlike other nonpartisan offices are contested at the time of the partisan primaries. In the event that no candidate in a School Board race does not receive a majority of votes cast, the top two candidates proceed to a run-off contested at the time of the general election.
District 3
Claudia Brown-Curry resigned this seat effective November 18, 2008 in order to run for Escambia County Superintendent of Schools. This triggered an election to fill the remainder of her term, which expires in 2010.
| Linda F. Moultrie | 3,413 | 51.7% |
| LuTimothy May | 3,183 | 48.3% |
Lawrence Powell and Ellison Bennett both pre-filed for the race but did not qualify.
District 4
| Patty Hightower (i) |
As no other candidates qualified for the office, Hightower was reelected by default.
District 5
| Bill Slayton | 3,684 | 35.2% |
| Tom Harrell | 3,227 | 30.8% |
| Peter R. Gindl, Sr. (i) | 2,497 | 23.8% |
| Robert Tegenkamp | 1,064 | 10.2% |
Rick Lambert pre-filed for the race, but later withdrew.
Escambia County Soil & Water Conservation Board
Seats on the Soil & Water Conservation Board are non-partisan.
District 1
| Anne B. Bennett (i) |
As no other candidates qualified for the office, Bennett was reelected by default.
District 2
Greg Fink resigned this seat effective November 4, 2008, to run for State Representative, District 2. This triggered an election to fill the remainder of his term, which expires in 2010.
| Richard Pope |
As no other candidates qualified for the office, Pope was elected by default.
District 3
| Richard W. Freisinger |
As no other candidates qualified for the office, Freisinger was elected by default.
District 5
| Marvino J. Allen |
| Clifford "Cliff" Fiveash |
| Dillon M. Powell |
Santa Rosa Island Authority
One member of this board is elected; the rest are appointed by members of the Escambia County Commission. Seats are nonpartisan.
| Thomas Campanella |
As no other candidates qualified for the office, Campanella was reelected by default.
