Rep. David Myers won re-election Tuesday, but not by much.
Myers, D-McComb, won 52 percent of the vote against Tasha Dillon in the Democratic primary for House District 98.
Myers got 1,910 votes (52 percent) to Dillon’s 1,797.
With no other candidates running, Myers automatically wins another four-year term.
In a tense evening of numbers that peaked back and forth between Myers and Dillon, friends and family at the Myers headquarters on Summit Street listened intently as the numbers came in on the radio.
“We knew it was going to be a tough race going in,” Myers said. “My party got out and worked very hard. I’m very thankful to them and to the people who have supported me throughout the years.”
This is the second straight time Dillon has challenged Myers for the office.
Myers carried Pike County with 1,678 (53 percent) of the vote, to Dillon’s. 1,505.
However, Walthall County, which helped Myers win re-election four years ago, backed Dillon this year. Dillon got 292 votes there (56 percent) while Myers got only 232.
Myers noted the low voter turnout among Democrats in Pike County, where more candidates filed to run as Republicans this year.
“We’d have hoped to get more voters out,” he said. “But, we will have to do better as a Democratic Party to address those issues in the upcoming elections, and address the apathy that has gotten into the Democratic party. So, yes, I was very disappointed in the turnout.”
Overall, just 21.5 percent of Pike County’s 20,076 registered voters cast ballots on Tuesday.
Myers serves on the House Municipalities, Medicaid, Military Affairs and Public Utilities committees and most recently has earned a seat on the Ways and Means committee.
He said he is anxious to get back to work for the district in January because he has projects on the horizon that he said will be a benefit to District 98.
“We plan to get to work in January and get started on these issues,” he said. “I’m creating some new partnerships that are going to help us move forward in the district. I really look forward to getting back to work and making Pike and Walthall counties the beacon of southwest Mississippi. I am looking forward to a new, fresh start.”
