NEWTON COUNTY — Eleven votes was the gap by which a new District 2 commissioner was named on Tuesday night.

Challenger Tamara Strong defeated incumbent Demond Mason in what is sure to be one of the closest political races in Newton County Board of Commissioners history. 

In District 4, longtime incumbent J.C. Henderson secured another election day victory, this time over challenger Nytravious “Nytro” Smith. Tuesday’s win means that Henderson is set to serve his seventh four-year term in office.

Strong prevails over Mason 

Strong entered the race as a relative political unknown, announcing her intentions for the seat just two months ago. That ultimately did not matter, as Strong earned 1,862 votes (50.15%), according to the unofficial and incomplete election results provided by the Newton County elections office.

While Mason earned more votes via absentee and early voting ballots, Strong outperformed Mason on Election Day by a 115-vote margin.

There are no Republican challengers, which paves the way for Strong to assume the office in January.

In her first comments since winning the election, Strong thanked her supporters for pushing her through the finish line.

“This victory does not belong to me alone; it belongs to every person who prayed, donated, volunteered, encouraged, called, texted, and stood beside me throughout this journey,” Strong said, in part. “Your support carried me through every challenge, every long day, and every moment of uncertainty.”

Mason earned 1,851 votes (49.85%), just 11 votes behind Strong. He has yet to comment publicly following his loss.

Mason assumed the District 2 Commissioner seat in 2019 after winning a runoff election against Earnest Simmons in June 2018. He was reelected in 2022 after earning 70% of the vote in a four-person Democratic primary and 67% in the general election.

Voter turnout jumped substantially from 24% in 2022 to 36% this year.

Henderson earns bid for unprecedented seventh term in office

Henderson earned 1,636 votes (52.84%) by the end of Tuesday night to keep the distinction of the longest-serving commissioner in Newton County history. With no Republican challenger in November, he is set to begin his seventh term in office in January.

While Henderson earned the victory, it did not come easily.

Smith finished with 1,460 votes (47.16%), marking one of the slimmest election victories in Henderson’s long career. The 20-year-old challenger also overshadowed the incumbent on Election Day, earning 639 votes to Henderson’s 547. But Henderson’s significant gap in early voting and absentee ballots proved to be too much to overcome.

Following his loss, Smith took to social media to express his gratitude for his supporters while also providing a glimpse into his political future.

“We ran a clean race and we ran a race with integrity, and that’s all that matters to me,” Smith said, in part. “We lost this race by 111 [sic] votes, and I’ll be back in two years. I promise y’all that.”