Joel Carter will represent parts of Gulfport, Biloxi and Harrison County in the Mississippi State Senate when Carter won nearly 53% of the vote during Tuesday’s special election.
According to the Jennifer Smith with the Harrison County Circuit Clerks office, Carter beat out Dan Carr and Ron Meyers for the District 49 Senate Seat with just 3,743 people turning out to vote.
Smith said that only nine percent of the precinct turned up to cast their ballots. Officials are speculating that part of the extremely low voter turnout could be blamed on the weather and part of it on the timing of the election that was held the week before Christmas.
Carter will replace Sean Tindell in the state Senate after Tindell resigned when Gov. Phil Bryant chose him to serve on the Mississippi State Court of Appeals.
While special election ballots don’t list party affiliations, Carter said that he would caucus with the Republicans.
