Pike County Circuit Clerk Roger Graves retained his position in Tuesday’s Democratic primary by topping challenger Anthony Witherspoon.
Graves, who has served in the office since 1988, picked up 4,290 votes (60 percent) to Witherspoon’s 2,881.
“I’m thrilled with the results. I’m excited about what Pike County did for me, and the cross-section of the vote I got,” Graves said. “It got kind of hairy today because of as many people voting Republican as they did. I was somewhat nervous about that.”
Pike County has closed primaries, limiting voters to one party choice in primary elections. To an extent, Graves was depending on Republicans to cross party lines and vote Democratic in his election.
Some 26 percent of the people who voted Tuesday opted for the Republican primary. Graves was pleased with the Democratic turnout and support.
“It was exciting to see that the people that did vote Democrat voted for me,” Graves said. “It is one of the most exciting days of my life. I think that this particular race means more to me than probably any other race. I don’t know why, but it does.”
Graves also noted that the race was one of the cleanest he has been involved in.
Witherspoon echoed Graves in a statement.
“I’d like to thank all those who voted for me and contributed in every way to my campaign for Pike County Circuit Clerk,” Witherspoon’s statement said. “It has truly been a great experience.
“I’d also like to say congratulations to Roger Graves on his victory. Mr. Graves ran a very clean and professional race. I will do all to support the success of his administration. I’m one who believes that it is incumbent on everyone to give reasonable service to the community, and that I will continue to do. Again, thank you all.”
The circuit clerk’s office handles marriage licenses, passports and voter registration. It assists with elections and helps oversee three court systems: youth, county and circuit. It maintains court files and issues jury summonses.
“I feel like it was a very important election for the county,” Graves said. “I think people do not realize exactly how much a circuit clerk affects their everyday lives. I think that people really have not fully understood how important that office is to this county.”
