Businessman Nelson “Wayne” Carr defeated first-term Southern District Public Service Commissioner Dane Maxwell in Mississippi’s Republican primary Tuesday.
The faceoff was one of several contested races in Mississippi’s party primaries. After ousting the incumbent, Carr will run unopposed in the November general election for south Mississippi’s regional seat on the state Public Service Commission, a three-member group that regulates utilities.
During the campaign, Carr filed multiple ethics complaints against Maxwell, accusing the incumbent of violating campaign finance laws. He alleged Maxwell improperly reported campaign donations.
Carr said in a July statement: “We need to Stop the Steal!”
Maxwell did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Carr’s campaign website says he has worked in the construction industry for 45 years and wants to diversify fuel sources to protect against supply shortages and price spikes.
In the GOP primary for the Northern District seat on the Public Service Commission, state Rep. Chris Brown defeated Tanner Newman. Brown will run unopposed in the general election after Democrats did not nominate a candidate to replace incumbent Brandon Presley, who is running for governor.
Central District Commissioner Brent Bailey, a Republican, ran unopposed. He will face Democratic state Rep. De’Keither Stamps in the general election.
In a three-candidate Democratic primary in the agriculture commissioner’s election that was too early to call on election night, The Associated Press called the race for Robert “Brad” Bradford on Wednesday. He defeated Bethany Hill and Terry Rogers.
Bradford is the emergency manager director in Adams County, a military veteran and a fourth-generation farmer from the Mississippi Delta. He said the state Department of Agriculture needs to do a better job of marketing Mississippi products. He also thinks the department needs to be diverse: “It has to look like Mississippi,” he said.
Bradford will face incumbent Republican Andy Gipson, a former state representative who has been agriculture commissioner since 2018. He won the Republican primary after running unopposed. Former Gov. Phil Bryant first appointed him to the vacant job. Gipson was then elected agriculture commissioner in 2019.
The general election is Nov. 7.
