Whitis defeats Lorette for sheriff

County Democrats prefer Clinton to Obama

By DAVID LOWE

Staff Writer

David Whitis defeated Joe Lorette for Lampasas County sheriff 1,549 votes to 946 votes Tuesday night. Whitis took 62 percent of the vote to Lorette's 38 percent.

"I just don't even know how to explain it right now," Whitis said. "I'm just extremely appreciative of everybody who supported me and voted for me."

Whitis said he has been honored to work with outgoing sheriff Gordon Morris and will continue working closely with and learning from his mentor as Whitis prepares for his new role.

"He's been the best sheriff, the best boss and the best person to work with," Whitis said of Morris.

Lorette said Tuesday night he had not had a chance to analyze box-by-box results but guessed turnout in the county's east end was not as high as he had hoped.

"Of course the east end has a large military population, and they don't feel like a part of the community because, to a large extent, they're not treated like one," Lorette said. "I think a lot of people just didn't make it to the polls."

Lorette said he has not decided what employment to pursue in the wake of the election.

"I think we realized there was a voice out there that can challenge the status quo," he said. "I really feel bad for the people of this county."

Democratic voters in Lampasas County cast 899 votes for Hillary Clinton, compared to 672 votes for Barack Obama. Ms. Clinton's total represented 56 percent of the county Democratic vote, compared to Obama's 42 percent.

County Republican voters preferred John McCain over Mike Huckabee 59 percent to 30 percent. McCain received 1,477 votes to Huckabee's 748. Ron Paul received 125 votes, or 5 percent of Republican votes cast in the county.

Lampasan Dale Henry won the Lampasas County vote in the Democratic primary for railroad commissioner. Henry recorded 748 votes, or 57 percent, compared to Mark Thompson's 417 votes, or 32 percent. Art Hall tallied 12 percent with 159 votes.