Early vote totals in Shelby County confirmed what happened across the state in the Republican presidential primary Tuesday, March 6.

Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum took the early vote over former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was third.

The early vote totals were

Santorum 5,034 or 43%

Romney 3,752 or 32%

Gingrich 1,912 or 16%

In the four sets of local primaries, the five way race in the Democratic primary for General Sessions Court Clerk was the race to watch with interim clerk Ed Stanton Jr. taking the early vote by a slim margin over Shelby County Commission chairman Sidney Chism. Incumbent clerk Otis Jackson, who was suspended by the General Sessions Court Judges following his indictment on official misconduct charges last year was a distant third.

The early vote totals were:

Stanton 3,419 or 36%

Chism 3.379 or 36%

Jackson 1,368 or 14%

Tim Walton had a wider margin as he took the early vote in the three-way GOP primary for Assessor over John Bogan and Randy Lawson. The early vote totals are:

Walton 3,240 or 38%

Bogan 2,671 or 31%

Lawson 2,607 or 31%

Democratic Assessor Cheyenne Johnson appeared to be on her way to victory over primary challenger Steve Webster.

The early vote totals were:

Johnson 7,111 or 81%

Webster 1,657 or 19%

Rick Rout lead James Finney in the GOP primary for Assessor. The early vote totals were:

Rout 5,095 or 57%

Finney 3,862 or 23%

Former County Commissioner Marilyn Loeffel had a narrow lead over Steve Basar in the Republican primary to fill out the remaining two years left in the term for Commission District 1 Position 3. The winner meets Democrat Steve Ross in the August county general election. Ross is unopposed.

The early vote totals were:

Loeffel 2,125 or 58%

Basar 1,510 or 41%