MOUNT VERNON — Knox County Democrats gathered in Mazza’s Restaurant on Tuesday night to hear the results of the primary elections. There was an atmosphere of hushed excitement as candidates and supporters waited for the results to come in.
At the end of the evening, Serita Harris had defeated Earl Justice in the democratic primary for the seat of county commissioner for the term commencing Jan. 3, 2009, and John Booth defeated Paul Harris to win the democratic nomination for the position of county commissioner, Jan. 2, 2009, term.
Serita Harris, who will run against incumbent Allen Stockberger in November, was “kind of nervous” waiting for the results of the voting to be announced.
“We’re all going to win no matter what, because ... it’s the first primary the Democrats have had [in Knox County] in almost 20 years,” she said.
Paul Harris, who was also running for the nomination of commissioner, was feeling “optimistic” as he waited for the results to come in.
“Hopefully we’ll increase our numbers for the democratic primary tonight, and that’s part of what the primary process is all about,” he said. “Being a new name on the ballot [and] running against a great guy like John [Booth], finishing respectable would be great.”
“You never know untill it’s over,” said Earl Justice, who was running against Serita Harris. He added that he hoped that the board of commissioners wouldn’t be one-sided with all three members being Republican.
“You never know how it’s going to come out,” said Booth, who will now face Bemiller in November. “[I’m] looking forward to the possibility of maybe being able to represent my party as a county commissioner; I’m excited about the opportunity just to get the chance to run for county commissioner.”
Final numbers presented at the gathering showed Booth defeated Paul Harris by a margin of 60 percent to 39 percent, with Serita Harris defeating Earl Justice by 51 percent to 48 percent.
Booth made a statement as the evening was wrapping up.
“Our party has found a rising star, if he so chooses ... and that’s Paul Harris ... he acted with class, he carried himself well ... [Paul Harris] is definitely a candidate for our party in the future,” he said.
Congressman Zack Space, representing Ohio’s 18th District, said that he was overwhelmed by support from constituents, and that his victory in the primary was a reflection of the support from the voters in the 18th District. Space said he has made a priority of listening to people from his district, and would continue doing his best to represent his constituents and not special interests groups.
