THOMASVILLE — Former educator Joy West will be joining the Thomas County Board of Education, and incumbent Ken Harper will be retaining his seat. 

West beat Dr. Sanford Hawkins for the opening District 1 seat, winning 397-218.

Harper, who represents District 3, held off challenger Eleanor McNeill Hall 540-135.

Leah Smith outpolled Kevin Royal 345-113 for the Republican nomination for the District 5 school board seat. She will face Democrat Aaron J. Williams in November for the seat. 

Among other races, Herschel Walker took more than three-fourths of the ballots cast in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate, collecting 4,867 out of 6,260, a whopping 77.75%.

Incumbent Raphael Warnock received more than 94% of the votes in the Democrat primary, taking in 2,559 out of 2,710 ballots cast.

Local businessman Chris West got the most votes in the U.S. House 2nd District primary, earning 3,431 out of 6,058 cast. Jeremy Hunt received 1,441. 

Incumbent Sanford Bishop earned 94% of the votes in the Democrat primary, with 2,571.

Thomas County voters went heavily for native Catherine Mims Smith in the nonpartisan superior court judge race. Smith received 6,107 votes of the 8.491 cast, or nearly 72%.

Thomasville attorney Robert L. Moore Jr. had 1,392 votes and Lowndes County attorney William Whitesell had 992 votes.