DAILY LEADER / RACHEL EIDE / Lincoln County Circuit Clerk Dustin Bairfield speaks with election workers Tuesday night during vote counting at the Lincoln County-Brookhaven Government Complex.

With a little more than 58 percent of the vote, incumbent U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran won his support from Lincoln County in Tuesday’s Republican Party runoff with tea party-backed challenger state Sen. Chris McDaniel.

A total of 5,158 voters cast ballots in Tuesday’s election, down by 214 from the 5,372 cast June 3. That equaled a drop in participation from 24.64 percent of the registered voters June 3 to 20 percent June 24.

In the Republican runoff in Lincoln County, Cochran received 3,021 votes or 58.01 percent compared to McDaniel’s 2,186 or 41.97 percent. (For precinct-by-precinct Lincoln County voting results, please see the charts on page three.)

Helen Funk, Lincoln County Democratic party chairman, said participation was the only problem she saw during the runoff election.

“I wish we could make people understand how important it is and how costly it is,” she said. “Bad people are elected by good people that stay home.”

Dustin Bairfield, Lincoln County circuit clerk, said everything went smoothly Tuesday, and there were no complaints about violations.

“We had a very wonderful, blessed day,” he said Tuesday night.

Bairfield also said they had no problems with voter identification this time and do not have to hold any ballots for five days.

On Election Day, McDaniel visited the lunch meeting of the Lion’s Club in Brookhaven during the last stretch of his campaign.

“It’s not about Thad or Chris,” he told the club members and guests. “It’s about whether or not we can move in the right direction.”

McDaniel reasserted his stance as an effort to return back to the freedoms and liberties of the founding fathers.

In the 3rd Congressional District Democratic runoff Tuesday, D.M. “Doug” Magee polled 216 votes or 51.43 percent, while his opponent, Dennis C. Quinn, received 203 votes or 48.33 percent.