Filing for local offices during the holidays continue to be slow, as over about a 10-day period, from Tuesday, December 12 through Friday, December 22, only a handful of new candidates had filed candidacy papers to run in next May’s primary election.

County Clerk Shelia Booher also reminds candidates that January 31 at 4 p.m. is the deadline to file for local county office.

Also, the deadline for anyone wishing to switch political parties and still be able to vote in that new party next spring has until 4 p.m. this coming Friday, December 29, to file the form to change party affiliations.

A total of five persons has declared their candidacy since last report, one for county/judge executive and four persons for two different magisterial seats. All those who most recently filed are Republicans.

Former two-term Clinton County Judge/Executive Lyle Huff filed for that position, making him the sixth person to be seeking the county’s highest office.

Four persons filed for magistrate over the past couple of weeks. Lucas Abner filed as a Republican candidate for magistrate in District Three, comprised of the Piney Woods, Seventy-Six and Snow Precincts. Thusfar, four total candidates are running for that seat.

Some three additional candidates filed for office for District Five Magistrate, including former magistrate Jerry Lowhorn, as well as David Harris and Charlie J. Hardin.

Some five candidates are in the running, all Republicans, in that race and the district is comprised of the Illwill and Speck precincts.

Through last Friday, December 22, the last day the courthouse was open prior to the Christmas Holiday closing, a total of 40 local candidates–all Republicans, has filed to run for the various races that will be on the May primary ballot.

A total of one-half, or twenty of all candidates seeking office thusfar in the county, are running for one of the six magisterial seats that will be on next year’s ballot.

The NEWS will publish periodic updates on new candidates, but locally and district/statewide and federal races during the month of January prior to the filing May primary deadline.