Jonesboro mayoral runoff set; Craighead County jail sales tax vote defeated

There will be a runoff in the Jonesboro mayoral race. One-term incumbent Mayor Harold Copenhaver will square off against challenger and alderman L.J. Bryant after they were the top two finishers in the race on Tuesday (Nov. 5).

Copenhaver received 10,892 (45%) of ballots cast, while Bryant tallied 8,381 (35%) of the vote. Challenger Jeremy Terrell received 3,784 (15%) votes, while another challenger, Thomas Elwood garnered 909 (3.7%) votes.

Vote tallies are unofficial until they are officially certified. The runoff is slated for Dec. 3.

Jonesboro’s lone city council race went easily to the incumbent. Chris Moore received 15,422 (63%) of votes cast in the Ward 2 Position 2 race. Challenger Keith Livesay tallied 5,803 (24%). About 13% of votes cast in the contest were reported as undervotes.

In the State Senate District 20 race, incumbent Dan Sullivan, R-Jonesboro, cruised to an easy victory over Democrat Erika Askeland. Sullivan received 16,901 (60%) votes, while Askeland tallied 10,851 (39%) of votes cast.

In the State House District 30 contest, incumbent Fran Cavenaugh, R-Walnut Ridge, beat Democrat Hamilton Holmes. Cavenaugh received 8,910 (81%) of votes cast while Hamilton received 2,146 (19%).

Incumbent Jack Ladyman, R-Jonesboro, defeated Democrat David McAvoy in the State House District 32 race. Ladyman garnered 5,500 (59%) of votes cast, while McAvoy tallied 3,575 (38%) votes. Libertarian Eric I.B. McGee received 306 (3%) votes.

A half-cent sales tax to expand and improve the Craighead County Detention Center appears to have failed. At least 19,524 residents in the county voted against the sales tax increase that was slated to have an eight-year sunset clause. About 15,668 voted for the sales tax increase.