Christian County election results: Jackson, Williams win GOP primaries for commissioner

In Christian County, several top county positions were on the Aug. 6 primary ballot amid controversies about a new Republican "vetting" system that aimed to keep candidates who did not align with the Republican Party platform off the party ballot but ultimately failed. The turnout for the primary election in Christian County sat just above 25%.

Here are the uncertified results from the county-wide races as reported by the Christian County Clerk's Office:

Christian County Eastern District Commissioner

Incumbent Bradley Alan Jackson took the lead with almost 60% of votes. He was appointed to the seat a year and a half ago after serving as Ozark mayor.

Jackson faced Jess Hodges, a native of Christian County, on the primary ballot. Hodges, who lives in Sparta working as an insurance agent through Hodges Insurance Agency, received 34% of the votes.

Rick Parham dropped out of the race, though his name still appeared on the ballot with 419 votes cast for him.

Jackson will face off in November against Democratic candidate David Krewson, who ran unopposed in the primary.

Christian County Western District Commissioner

Johnny Williams, a lifelong Christian County resident, was selected to be the Republican candidate for the Western District Commissioner in a tight race, receiving 37.39% of the votes. Williams has served as a police officer in Nixa for 24 years and has spent 15 years cattle farming.

Coming in with just 145 fewer votes was Brent Young, a Christian County native who has worked for the county for 32 years.

Also joining them on the Republican primary ballot were J. Michael White, a land surveyor who's served on the county's Planning and Zoning Commission since 2017, and Bryan Garrison.

In November, Williams will face off against the Democratic candidate, Sheila Michaels, who was unopposed on the primary ballot. Currently, Hosea Bilyeu serves as the Western Commissioner.

Christian County Assessor

Current Christian County Deputy Assessor Jeremy Burns was selected to take over the County Assessor position in a landslide, securing 56.8% of the votes. He graduated from Ozark High School and is a lifelong Christian County resident.

The Republican primary ballot also included Brenda Hobbs and MeLissa Davidson. Hobbs has 30 years of experience in the real estate and construction industry and has served on the Christian County Planning and Zoning Board and the Board of Equalization for over a decade. Davidson has worked in the Greene County Assessor's Office for five years and serves as the President of the Southwest Missouri Chapter of the International Association of Assessing Officers.

Burns will replace the current County Assessor Danny Gray.

More:Republican vetting process sets stage for lawsuits, leaves MO primary ballots uncertain

Other Christian County races

The coroner will be decided in the November election as incumbent Republican Mandi Yoder-Armitage and Libertarian candidate Danielle Gerstenschlager both ran unopposed in their respective primaries.

Three other positions were uncontested, with only one Republican candidate running for each. Sheriff Brad Cole will remain in the position for a fourth term. Only one person, Susan Pathkiller, ran to be public administrator as the current administrator Ken Davis did not seek office. According to her LinkedIn profile, Pathkiller has worked as a deputy public administrator in Christian County for 15 years. Mellisa Bilyeu will take over for Karen Matthews as the county treasurer.

At the end of June, the Christian County Republican Central Committee filed a petition in court against County Clerk Paula Brumfield for accepting the filing fees of two candidates who the central committee had not approved to be on the Republican primary ballot. A similar situation unfolded earlier in the year in Vernon County, where the circuit court backed the central committee though ultimately "unvetted" names remained on the ballot as the case moved through the Court of Appeals. The Missouri Supreme Court refused to take the case.

Marta Mieze covers local government at the News-Leader. Have feedback, tips or story ideas? Contact her at [email protected].