Carol White-Richard, one of three candidates running in Tuesday’s election for the Circuit Court Fourth District, Position 3 seat, said she knew it would be tough to reach 50 percent in the three-way race.
Now, White-Richard, 43, a Greenville attorney, faces a Nov. 25 runoff with her nearest rival, Takiyah Perkins, a 32-year-old Greenwood native who serves as a Greenville-based assistant district attorney in the Fourth Judicial District.
According to unofficial results this morning, White-Richard received 2,275 votes (43 percent) of the vote in Leflore, Sunflower and Washington counties, and Perkins collected 1,797 (34 percent). Leflore County Justice Court Judge James Littleton came in third with 1,178 votes (22 percent).
Those figures include all of the Leflore County absentee ballots but not the county’s affidavit or curbside ballots.
In Leflore County, Perkins had 49 percent of the vote, compared to 27 percent for Littleton and 24 percent for White-Richard.
White-Richard had described herself before the election as an outside candidate. About half of the potential voters for the judgeship live in Leflore County, where both Littleton and Perkins have deep roots.
Littleton, who lives in Greenwood, is a current Leflore County Justice Court judge and has previously served as both city attorney and as a municipal court judge in Greenwood.
Perkins grew up in Greenwood. Her mother, Sheriel Perkins, is a former mayor of the city and her father, Rep. Willie Perkins Sr., has represented the area in the state Legislature since 1993.
White-Richard trailed her opponents in Leflore County but was able to draw a heavy turnout in Washington County and especially in Sunflower County, where she led her two opponents by a strong margin. In regular voting, those two counties delivered 58 percent of the vote in the judicial election, with Leflore County accounting for just 42 percent of the ballots cast.
White-Richard led the field in Sunflower County with 62 percent of the vote and in Washington County with 55 percent.
She said she is “hoping and praying” that her supporters will prepare themselves for the runoff but is confident she will win.
“We’re planning a victory party. It’s been delayed,” she said.
In Leflore County, 207 absentee votes were counted in the Place 3 race. Perkins collected 75 percent of the absentee ballots, with White-Richard and Littleton gaining 12 percent and 13 percent of those ballots, respectively.
Leflore County Circuit Clerk Elmus Stockstill said his office would begin canvassing affadvit and curbside ballots this morning.
White-Richard works as a public defender in Sunflower County. She and her husband, Bennie, practice law together in a firm — “partners in more ways than one,” she said.
Now, she said, it is time to mobilize her weary but hardened supporters over the next three weeks.
“I hope the people will see my qualifications and experience,” she said.
Attempts to contact Perkins and Littleton for comment were not successful.
• Contact Bob Darden at 581-7239 or bdarden@gwcommonwealth.com.
