Big wins mark west Arkansas races; incumbents fare well

Jason Massey said he wasn't surprised that he defeated his opponent so decisively in Tuesday's Republican primary for Logan County sheriff.

Massey, a lieutenant, is supervisor of the sheriff's office Criminal Investigation Division.

With all precincts reporting, the unofficial returns were:

Massey 1,644

Jason Parsons 426

[ELECTIONS COVERAGE: Find all results + stories]

Since he faces no candidate from an opposing party in the November general election, Massey will become sheriff Jan. 1. As a deputy with more than 10 years on the force and a friend of retiring Sheriff Boyd Hicks, Massey said he expects his transition into the sheriff's office to be seamless.

Other candidates in western Arkansas who won their primaries Tuesday night also found themselves in Massey's situation, winning election because of the lack of a candidate from an opposing party.

Sebastian County sheriff's Chief Deputy Hobe Runion will become the new sheriff in January after defeating two challengers for the Republican Party nomination in the primary. No candidate from another party filed for the position.

With all precincts reporting, the unofficial results were:

Runion 8,119

Jarrard Copeland 3,550

Randy McFadden 1,868

Runion received about 60 percent of the ballots cast in the race, eliminating the need for a runoff next month. He said in a Facebook posting Wednesday that the level of support for him left him humble and confident.

Copeland, a former Fort Smith police major, also posted a statement on Facebook pledging his support for the county's new sheriff.

Incumbent Ray Gack defeated Randy Trusty in the Republican primary for Logan County's county judge position Tuesday.

With all precincts reporting, the unofficial results were:

Gack 1,668

Trusty 426

In Scott County's Democratic primary, County Judge James Forbes defeated Phillip Sherrill.

With all precincts reporting, the unofficial results were:

Forbes 525

Sherrill 329

State Desk on 05/24/2018

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