Warren County voters continued their unbroken string of giving majority support to any opponent of U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, but it was closer this time.

Districtwide, state Rep. Chuck Espy of Clarksdale fell well short in his attempt to gain the Democratic nomination for the congressional seat once held by his uncle, meaning Thompson advances to face Tchula mayor and Republican nominee Yvonne Brown in the Nov. 7 general election.

Perennial candidate Dorothy &#8220Dot” Benford finished a distant third in the 23-county district. Espy immediately threw his support behind the incumbent.

&#8220It’s time to get ready to give our support to Congressman Bennie Thompson as a strong Democrat,” Espy, 31, said Tuesday night in Jackson.

Espy carried Warren County with 2,635 votes, or 50.8 percent of votes cast, to Thompson’s 2,504, or 48.2 percent. Benford received 52 votes, the remaining 1 percent, unofficial final results from the circuit clerk’s office showed.

In districtwide returns, Thompson received 56,174 votes or 65 percent, to Espy’s 30,151 or 35 percent. Benford received 643 votes.

Warren County turnout did mirror slow voting across the mostly Delta district. Here, 5,213 of the county’s 35,189 registered voters voted for a turnout of 14.8 percent.

Two other Democratic primaries were held Tuesday in an election that was largely ignored by Mississippi voters. In several counties, only a few hundred votes were cast.

Thompson, a six-term congressman, celebrated with backers in his hometown of Bolton. He said he appreciates voters’ support.

&#8220I’m not a stranger in the district. I work hard,” Thompson said. &#8220I am now a senior member of Homeland Security Committee and I am somebody that people can count on in Washington.”

Thompson, 58, first won the 2nd District seat in a 1993 special election after Chuck Espy’s uncle, Mike Espy, left Congress to become President Clinton’s first secretary of agriculture.

In each two-year cycle since, any Democrat or Republican challenging Thompson has outpolled the incumbent here. Tuesday’s margin of loss, 0.8 percent, however, was the smallest Thompson has polled.

Also on the ballots Tuesday was a statewide Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, with four candidates. State Rep. Erik Fleming of Clinton and business consultant Bill Bowlin of Hickory Flat head for a June 27 runoff. They pushed past businessman James O’Keefe of Long Beach and retiree Catherine Starr of Hattiesburg.

The eventual Democratic nominee will have the task of trying to unseat veteran Republican U.S. Sen. Trent Lott.

With 98 percent of precincts reporting districtwide, Fleming had received 44,000 votes, 44 percent; Bowlin 22,511, 22 percent; O’Keefe 19,838, 20 percent; and Starr 13,950, 14 percent.

In Warren County Fleming led with 1,822 votes, 44.1 percent. O’Keefe received 856, 20.7 percent; Bowlin 769, 18.6 percent; and Starr 653, 15.8 percent.

Libertarian Harold M. Taylor of Nesbit also will be on the November ballot.

In north Mississippi’s 1st Congressional District, four Democrats ran low-budget campaigns. Ken Hurt of Verona made the runoff, and he’ll face either Bill Bambach of Columbus or Ron Shapiro of Oxford. Joe Forsythe Jr. of Horn Lake trailed the field.

The primary winner will face Republican U.S. Rep. Roger Wicker, who first captured the seat in 1994.

There were no Republican primaries in Mississippi.

In areas still recovering from Hurricane Katrina, voters were even more rare than in other parts of the state.

At the Biloxi Community Center polling place, people from four additional precincts were casting ballots because their old polling places were damaged or destroyed by the August storm.

&#8220A lot of the people who would normally vote are not here anymore,” said Chris Moore, poll manager. &#8220Katrina’s got things turned upside down.”

Polls opened at 7 a.m. By 1:30 p.m., Mary Rose Leahy, 69, was the only one of 423 eligible voters in her Biloxi precinct to cast a ballot.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.