Paul Winfield won the Democratic primary election for mayor of Vicksburg in a landslide Tuesday, garnering approximately 61.5 percent of the 3,108 total votes in his first run for public office. The convincing win eliminated the need for a runoff, and Winfield now advances to the June 2 general election against two-term incumbent independent Laurence Leyens.

Democratic primary

Paul E. Winfield………1,915

Gertrude Young…………668

John P. Shorter………….460

Tommy Wright…………….65

“It feels good, but as I told all the great people who have worked on my campaign and supported me so for — the work is just beginning,” Winfield said Tuesday evening at his campaign headquarters on Cherry Street, where a throng of supporters congratulated him and he gave an acceptance speech around 8:45 p.m. “The real winners in this vote are our youth, elderly and the people who have been left out.”

Winfield was attorney for the Warren County Board of Supervisors until his resignation from that post in December to launch his bid for office. The attorney also has a private practice and has served as attorney for Port Gibson and municipal judge in the town 25 miles south of Vicksburg.

His nearest challenger in the four-candidate field was former three-term North Ward Alderman Gertrude Young, a real estate agent. She received 21.5 percent of the vote.

Following with 14.8 percent was defense contractor and NAACP Vicksburg Chapter President John Shorter and business owner and first-time candidate Tommy Wright, who chose not to participate in the two debates leading up to the primary, with 2 percent.

Total turnout Tuesday may have been the lowest ever. Four years ago, 4,298 people voted in a primary. Census figures show Vicksburg with a population of about 26,000 and poll books contain 18,480 names.

The lower turnout could have been due to a leaner ballot. Both incumbent aldermen faced opposition in 2005, while North Ward Alderman Michael Mayfield and South Ward Alderman Sid Beauman are unopposed for new four-year terms. Mayfield beat Young for his post four years ago, while Beauman has been in office for eight years.

Young, Shorter and Wright all said they will support Winfield in the race against Leyens, and all said they may have run their last campaigns.

“This is my last run at public office,” said Shorter, who also failed to win the Democratic nomination in the 2005 mayoral race. “The citizens of Vicksburg would rather vote on imagery instead of substance.”

Young, who represented the North Ward for 12 years through 2005, did not completely rule out another run for mayor, but said she is leaning toward throwing in the towel. “Well, I never say never, but I think this is it,” she said. “I was very surprised at the results, but the people have spoken.”

Wright, who dispersed campaign literature accusing the Leyens administration of selectively enforcing housing code ordinances to obtain property illegally, said, “The only thing we can do now is throw all our support behind Mr. Winfield. The ultimate goal is to get Leyens out of office.”

By polling more than half the votes cast, Winfield, 35, said he can now focus on his run against Leyens, 45, which he acknowledged will not be easy.  

“I know it’s going to be an uphill battle. I know (Leyens) is going to come out and spend a lot of money on this election, but I also know money doesn’t equal votes. Vicksburg is not for sale,” he said.

Winfield had received $41,973.99 in campaign contributions since Jan. 1 for the primary campaign, which easily outpaced his three rivals for the party’s nomination but falls short of $72,000 Leyens had raised at this point four years ago. Leyens will have to file a finance report by May 26 as a candidate in the general election, and Winfield will have to update his report by then as well.

The tally of votes available Tuesday night does not include 59 absentee votes cast in the city or an undetermined number of affidavit votes. The absentee ballots will have to be verified before they are added to the official count, and Election Commissioner Clyde Redmon said the affidavit votes would  be counted beginning at 8 a.m. today.

“It doesn’t look like it will affect the outcome as we see it tonight,” Redmon said after the city’s 11 precincts reported in.

The new four-year term will begin in July. The annual salary for the mayor is $81,033.68, according to the city clerk’s office, and $64,827.10 for aldermen.

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Contact Steve Sanoski at ssanoski@vicksburgpost.com