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Limestone County voters swept Democratic candidates out of races Tuesday for the first time in Limestone County history.
When the dust cleared, not a single Democratic candidate with opposition was left standing — for better or worse.
Among the losses, Limestone County District Attorney Kristi Valls — who had 20 years of experience in the DA’s office and a 99-percent jury trial conviction rate for county residents.
Like other Democratic incumbents — including Sen. Tom Butler and County Commission Chairman David Seibert — Valls was swept out by a landslide of voters who resoundingly chose Republican candidates. In this case, Republican challenger Brian C.T. Jones, 43, of Athens, who won by 698 votes, with 33 of 34 precincts counted and 97 percent of the vote totaled.
“Never in the history of Limestone County history has this occurred, where the local Democrats were swept out,” Probate Judge Mike Davis said while awaiting absentee ballot results.
While it is not unusual for voters of one party to oust candidates from the opposing party on a state and national level, even in wholesale fashion, he said Limestone County voters typically make an exception for opposing-party candidates who are doing a good job at the local level.
The mood was somber outside the DA’s office Tuesday night, and some Valls backers feared voters had replaced a lion with a lamb. Valls had tried more felony jury trials than any other attorney in Limestone County, somewhere between 45 and 50, with 17 of those being homicides.
Meanwhile, at the Jones headquarters, the district attorney-elect summed up the day as “fantastic.”
“I cannot thank enough my wife, Kandye, my family, my mother-in-law, my parents and all of my friends and supporters who worked very hard to make this event happen,” Jones said from his downtown office, where a party was proceeding. “Even in the days when we were full of doubt, we all stuck together and prayed together and everything worked out.”
Jones, who has been an attorney for 18 years, said his first task as district attorney will be to study the budget, see what money can be extended to the services mentioned in his campaign — such as at-risk children — and then meet with community leaders, school principals, ministers and social service leaders to see what areas can be addressed. During his campaign, he called for tougher penalties and more jail time to combat crime.
“It’s a new day and we are going to go about it in a different way,” he said.
According to final but unofficial results, Jones received 13,231 votes (or 51.33 percent) to Valls’ 12,533 votes (or 48.62 percent). Although the totals do not include provisional ballots, which will be counted in the coming days, their numbers will not change the outcome.
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Related Photos
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Newly-elected District Attorney Brian C.T. Jones, left, looks over absentee vote results with his father, Don Jones, right, and Jim Burden, chairman of the Limestone County Republican Party. News Courier/Kim Rynders
Discussion
Jones upsets Democratic incumbent in squeaker
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