The race was close — until it wasn’t.
A tight race for the GOP nomination for Sheriff ended in classic fashion, with James Brumfield narrowly edging out a strong performance at the polls put forward by Tim Vanderslice.
Brumfield received 2,557 votes (54%) compared to the 2,161 votes (46%) received by Vanderslice, producing a bigger margin than the August 7 primary, when Brumfield received 2,245 votes (41%) compared to the 2,271 (41%) received by Vanderslice.
Brumfield, 66, of McComb ran on a platform highlighting his experience and knowledge of both law enforcement and business.
He has in the past worked as a sheriff’s deputy in Pike County and spent much of his career as the local vice-president of Coca-Cola.
He argued that his understanding of the administrative aspects of the sheriff’s department, such as maintaining a large budget and a fleet of vehicles, would serve him well in the position.
Brumfield declared he would develop the most professional sheriff’s department possible, and voters responded by showing up for him on Tuesday.
He announced earlier this month that he would appoint career law enforcement officer Bruce Fairburn as one of his top administrators, which may have benefited his campaign in the polls. Fairburn spent years with the Pike County sheriff’s department as well as several other regional law enforcement agencies.
Brumfield has stood as a pillar within the community, having served as chair of the economic development board twice, and also was a founding member of the Scenic Rivers Development Alliance.
His combination of business and law enforcement experience punched his ticket to the November general election Tuesday night.
“We’re feeling ecstatic,” Brumfield said after realizing that he had won. “We’re very pleased and very thankful that the Lord put us on this journey and blessed us through it. We’ve had lots of help from a lot of friends, and now we have a lot more work to do.”
Brumfield expressed gratitude to both the voters in Pike County and also to his opponent.
“We worked hard, and I had a lot of people helping me, and we’re thankful to the voters in Pike County,” he said. “I want to thank Mr. Vanderslice for running a great race.”
Now that the runoff is behind him, Brumfield is looking toward the November general election.
“We’ve got to knock on doors, see people, let the people know what we stand for and that we care about Pike County,” Brumfield said. “That we can give them hope as to what we can be.”
Brumfield was happy about the results of the runoff, but he knows that there is still a lot of work to be done.
“To everyone that’s helped me, to those who voted for me, I’m very thankful and we’ve got a long way to go to win in November,” he said. “We will be back out campaigning tomorrow. And to those who did not vote for me, we’d sure like you to come on out and support us going forward.”
n n n
In the race for Pike County central district constable, Mark Thompson beat James L. Brown.
Thompson, 40, of McComb received 714 votes (64%) to clinch the Democratic nomination over the 400 votes (36%) received by Brown.
Thompson is a lieutenant with the sheriff’s department and also serves as a patrol officer for Magnolia.
He ran on a platform of experience and dedication to the county.
