Catt ousts Anderson in primary

Pol i t ical newcomer James "Jim" Catt Jr. Won the Democratic primary for the Hill County commission seat representing District 2, defeating incumbent Mike Anderson 1,114 to 1,008 votes in the unofficial count in Tuesday's Democratic primary.

Catt now will move on to the general election in November, where he faces independent candidate Jeff LaVoi.

Bert Corcoran finished third with 349 votes.

"I feel great. It was a tight one; it was very exciting," Catt said. "I was really happy with the results, that's for sure."

He said he will continue speaking with people about issues and trying to convey how important the budget is for the next year or two.

Looking to the general election, Catt said he feels good, even though he knows that LaVoi will likely have much support just from the nationwide aura of discontent with partisan politics.

"I think it's going to be another tough run," he said. "I won't be taking this lightly."

After taking a few days off, he said, he will be re-organizing and continuing with his campaign.

He also thanked Anderson for running a clean campaign.

"That doesn't happen often nowaDays," Catt said. "I just don't think it could have been any better, any more fair, and I respect my opponent for that and hopefully I can garner up some of the support that he had."

"Obviously we're disappointed, but the people have spoken, and we respect what they had to say," Anderson said at Democratic headquarters at the Eagles Club after results were announced Tuesday night.

"We'll just keep working on the same things we've been working on," Anderson added about what he hopes to accomplish in the next six months before the winner of the commissioner race takes office in January.

"I am possibly disappointed, a little, but I think each candidate presented his views, and the people have made their choice," Corcoran said this morning.

"My whole philosophy is to teach people, to bring out issues," he added. "And hopefully young people will step up to the plate and move things forward, and I will have done my job."

The race was back and forth in the first part of the counting of returns, with both Catt and An d e r s o n o u t d i s t a n c i n g Corcoran early on.

Catt took a slight lead in the first three precincts counted, tallying 217 votes to Anderson's

192. Then Anderson caught back up, taking a 25-vote lead in the third precinct counted.

By the time six precincts were counted, Catt had again taken a slight lead, with 378 votes to 340.

Anderson started to fall again as the rest of the precincts were counted, winning in only one other precinct as the votes in the remaining 12 precincts were counted, although the margin of Catt's victory tended to be slim, one vote to 27 votes, and the two candidates tied in two precincts.

Corcoran won one in the Rocky Boy and Box Elder precincts, the area where he lives.

He beat Catt and Anderson in Rocky Boy with 81 votes to 12 to 12, respectively, and with 24 to 12 to 10, respectively, in Box Elder.

The only districts Anderson carried were Precinct 2, Courthouse-Library region, 80-56, and Precinct 10, Lincoln- McKinley, 105-63. Catt and Anderson tied for the lead in Precinct 22, Inverness-Rudyard, 33-33 with Corcoran taking eight votes in that district.