COVINGTON, Ga. — Newton County Democratic voters in Tuesday’s Primary Election overwhelmingly said they preferred two incumbent county commissioners and a school board member over their challengers to serve the next four years.

Incumbent commissioners J.C. Henderson of District 4 and Demond Mason of District 2, and incumbent District 3 school board member Shakila Henderson-Baker, turned back challengers to win their respective Democratic Primary races Tuesday. Incumbent school board members Trey Bailey of District 1 and Abigail Coggins of District 5 were unopposed in the Republican Primary. 

Bailey, Henderson and Mason will face challengers in the November General Election while Henderson-Baker and Coggins likely will be unopposed.

Henderson moved closer to his eighth term on the Board of Commissioners after defeating challenger Willie Jackson for the Democratic nomination for the District 4 seat.

Henderson, who was first elected in 1996, received 67% of the vote. He will face Republican Scotty Scoggins in the November General Election. Scoggins was unopposed in the GOP primary.

Henderson did not immediately return a call for comment Wednesday following the vote.

Also Tuesday, incumbent Demond Mason overwhelmed three Democratic challengers to win the party’s nomination for the Board of Commissioners’ District 2 seat.

Mason won with 70% of the vote to defeat challengers Steven Rhodes, Earnest Simmons and Dwayne Stephens. He will face Donnie Bryant, who was unopposed in the Republican primary, in the November General Election.

In 2018, Mason defeated Simmons in a runoff to win his first term after being part of a group of candidates that included Rhodes who sought the District 2 seat in the primary. 

Mason posted a video on social media to thank his supporters.

"We are so excited," Mason said. "We are looking forward to another four years to do the work that we started together — make some more things happen."

Henderson-Baker defeated Victoria Redding with 83% of the vote for the Democratic nomination for the District 3 school board seat. She will not have a Republican challenger in the November General Election.

Bailey was unopposed for the GOP nomination for School Board District 1. He will face Catalata Hardeman in November after Hardeman was unopposed in the District 1 Democratic primary.

Coggins was unopposed in the Republican primary for re-election to the school board District 5 seat. No one qualified to face her in November.

In two nonpartisan judicial races, Superior Court judges Cheveda McCamy and Layla Zon were unopposed for election to full terms on the Alcovy Judicial Circuit bench.

Newton County voters gave McCamy 17,370 complimentary votes and Zon 17,525 complimentary votes on their ways to winning full terms as judges. 

Gov. Brian Kemp appointed both judges to finish uncompleted terms. 

FINAL NEWTON COUNTY PRIMARY ELECTION RESULTS:

BOC District 2 Democrat:

Mason 1,620

Rhodes 193

Simmons 267

Stephens 228

4 of 4 precincts reporting

BOC District 2 Republican:

Bryant 1,299

4 of 4 precincts reporting

BOC District 4 Democrat:

Henderson 1,326

Jackson 657

7 of 7 precincts reporting

BOC District 4 Republican:

Scoggins 772

7 of 7 precincts reporting

BOE District 1 Republican:

Bailey 3,094

8 of 8 precincts reporting

BOE District 1 Democrat:

Hardeman 1,135

8 of 8 precincts reporting

BOE District 3 Democrat:

Henderson-Baker 1,915

Redding 375

6 of 6 precincts reporting

BOE District 5 Republican:

Coggins 2,689

9 of 9 precincts reporting

Alcovy Judicial Circuit

Superior Court Judge (Zon): 

Zon 17,525

22 of 22 precincts reporting

Alcovy Judicial Circuit

Superior Court Judge (McCamy):

McCamy 17,370

22 of 22 precincts reporting