Democrat Henry Whitehorn has made history by becoming the first black man elected as Caddo Parish Sheriff after a closely contested second runoff election. The former head of State Police secured 53 percent of the vote on Saturday, after winning by one vote over Republican opponent John Nickelson in November. Political Analyst Scott Hughes…
“The big surprise was the margin of victory. Given that we run this race twice already including a now infamous one vote total with over 40 thousand cast. When ballots all came back, we had a four or five thousand margin.”
Whitehorn received 34-thousand votes and Nickelson received 30-thousand votes in the second run-off election.
Hughes says the Caddo Parish election, which captured statewide attention drew high numbers of voter turnout to the polls. He points out the unity and commitment from Democrats and the African American community to place Whitehorn into leadership.
“It wasn’t like one part of town came out or had a big rally. Every box that got open throughout the night, precinct boxes on the Whitehorn side they were all plus 80 to 100 vote in over 128 boxes.”
A second run-off election was needed after Nickelson got the courts to agree there were several questionable votes. Hughes says Whitehorn’s victory marks a significant milestone in the Caddo Parish community.
“Given Caddo’s history, especially with the racial history going back into desegregation days, this was very significant and very emotional for many African Americans in Caddo Parish.”
Whitehorn will be sworn in on July 1st.
