MANCHESTER — Clay County voters turned out in strong numbers Tuesday night and delivered sweeping changes across local government during the 2026 Republican Primary Election, electing four new magistrates, deciding several contested constable races and settling competitive countywide contests for Judge/Executive, Jailer and Coroner.
According to unofficial election results, Clay County recorded 4,665 ballots cast out of 13,547 registered voters for an overall turnout of 34.44 percent.
Republicans continued to dominate voter registration locally with 11,414 registered Republicans compared to 1,525 Democrats and 608 nonpartisan voters.
Of the total ballots cast, 4,483 came from Republican voters and 182 from Democratic voters. Election Day voting accounted for 4,104 ballots, while 392 votes were cast during early voting, 119 by mail and 50 through excused absentee voting.
Countywide Races
Judge/Executive
Incumbent Tommy Harmon defeated challenger Scott “Scotty” D. Smith in the Republican primary for Clay County Judge/Executive.
Harmon received 2,624 votes, including 2,291 on Election Day, while Smith finished with 1,554 votes.
A total of 4,178 votes were cast in the race.
Jailer
The Republican primary for Clay County Jailer produced another closely watched race.
Linda Smallwood secured the nomination with 2,149 votes. Mark Jackson followed with 1,798 votes, while Darrell D. Mills received 370 votes.
The race generated 4,317 total votes.
Coroner
The Republican Coroner race was one of the closest countywide contests of the evening.
Jason Robert Abner narrowly edged Kathy Couch-Hicks to win the nomination. Abner received 1,764 votes compared to Couch-Hicks’ 1,696.
Michael Caudill finished third with 611 votes.
A total of 4,071 votes were cast in the race.
Magistrate Races
District 1
Earl “Country Earl” Owens won the Republican primary for Magistrate in District 1.
Owens received 448 votes, including 380 on Election Day. Russell “Rabbit” Smith finished with 215 votes.
The race totaled 663 votes cast.
District 2
District 2 voters elected Sonya Hoskins-Gray as their Republican nominee for magistrate.
Hoskins-Gray led the field with 504 votes, far ahead of Christopher “Chris” Reid with 140 and William “Bill” Scalf with 93.
The race drew 737 total votes.
District 3
Benjamin “Ben” Burkhart captured the District 3 magistrate race in a competitive three-way contest.
Burkhart received 352 votes, followed by Sonny Gay with 291 and Glenn Smith with 106.
A total of 749 votes were cast.
District 4
Jamie J. Jackson won a crowded five-candidate race for District 4 magistrate.
Jackson received 247 votes, followed by Michael Smith with 183, Chris Smith with 134, Marty Davis with 58 and Cecil Wagers with 51.
The race produced 673 total votes.
District 5
Jerry Combs defeated incumbent Glenn Ray Henson and challenger J. “Mike” Davis in District 5.
Combs earned 411 votes, including 364 cast on Election Day. Henson received 187 votes, while Davis finished with 96.
A total of 694 votes were cast.
District 6
District 6 voters also opted for change as Delbert “Jason” Smith defeated longtime magistrate William “Bill” Warren.
Smith received 528 votes compared to Warren’s 373.
The race saw 901 total votes cast, making it one of the county’s highest-turnout magistrate races.
The results mean four of Clay County’s six magistrate seats will now be occupied by new members of Fiscal Court.
Constable Races
District 1
Michael Darrell Wagers won the Republican primary for Constable in District 1.
Wagers received 297 votes, narrowly defeating H.K. Tyrone Salyers, who totaled 265 votes. Roy “Little Bit” Hubbard finished with 82 votes.
The race generated 644 total votes.
District 2
No contested Republican constable race was listed in District 2.
District 3
Harvey Dean Collins defeated Jimmy “Bucky” Smith in the District 3 Constable race.
Collins received 405 votes while Smith finished with 287.
A total of 692 votes were cast.
District 4
Elvis Smith captured the District 4 Constable nomination with 423 votes.
Eugene Jackson received 142 votes and Harold Williams finished with 62.
The race totaled 627 votes cast.
District 5
No contested Republican constable race was listed in District 5.
District 6
Richard Brian Hubbard received 248 votes, while Paul Collins finished with 172.
The race drew 821 total votes.
Federal Races
United States Senate — Republican Primary
Clay County Republicans overwhelmingly supported Congressman Andy Barr in the Republican primary for United States Senate.
Barr received 2,723 votes. Former Attorney General Daniel Cameron finished second with 997 votes, followed by Nate Morris with 193.
Other candidates included George Washington with 68 votes, Michael James Faris with 37, Jonathan M. Holliday with 36, Valerie “Dr. Val” Frederick with 28, James D. Duncan with 21, Anissa Catlett with 16, Jimmy I. Leon with 11, A. Nick Shelley with nine and Other Donald Wenzel with seven.
A total of 4,146 votes were cast in the race.
United States Senate — Democratic Primary
Charles Booker narrowly carried Clay County in the Democratic Senate primary with 78 votes.
Amy McGrath closely followed with 75 votes. Vincent Anthony Thompson received 10 votes, Logan Forsythe received eight, Dale Lewis Romans and Pamela Stevenson each received four and Joshua Blanton Sr. received two.
United States Representative in Congress
Longtime Congressman Hal Rogers dominated the Republican congressional primary in Clay County with 2,935 votes.
Kevin Smith finished second with 809 votes, followed by Benjamin Hurley with 117, Brandon R. Monhollen with 106 and Jerry Lee Shelton with 50.
A total of 4,017 votes were cast in the congressional race.
All election results remain unofficial until certified by the Clay County Board of Elections.
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