The two Republican candidates for El Dorado mayor tightly embraced in prayer just before the final ballot box was brought into the Union County Courthouse during a runoff election Tuesday night.
At that point, one candidate said it was clear who would win the race, and the two candidates wanted to commend each other on well-run, clean campaigns.
When the last vote was tallied, Chris Lutman and Bill Luther again embraced and firmly shook hands, with Lutman congratulating Luther on his victory and wishing him well as Luther moves on to the general election in November when he will face Democratic opponent Veronica Smith Creer.
Luther clinched the runoff with a vote of 555 - 442, outpacing Lutman in each voting category, including early, absentee and all four city wards, according to unofficial results provided by the Union County Election Commission and Clerk’s Office.
By 8:30 p.m., Luther led the race 467 – 384. Only votes from Ward 1 ballot box remained to be counted.
“I know I’m not going to make up that deficit with one ward out. With the (low) voter turnout, I’m not going to get 63 votes,” Lutman said.
A total of 146 votes were cast in Ward 1, with 88 in favor of Luther.
Lutman and Luther embarked on extended election campaigns after forcing a runoff during the preferential primary election on May 22.
The two candidates were engaged in a three-way, primary race with incumbent Mayor Frank Hash, and they emerged as the front-runners.
Though Luther garnered more votes (516) in the primary, and 374 voters cast their ballots for Lutman, neither candidate secured the required 50-percent-plus-one votes to declare a decisive victory.
On Tuesday, Luther received 55.67 percent off the vote, compared to 44.33 percent for Lutman. In the runoff election, only voters who participated in the Republican primary in May or who did not vote at all in the May primary could cast a ballot.
Bill Murphy, voting at the Union County Fairgrounds, said he wanted to vote since there was no conclusive victory in the May primary for any of the mayoral candidates.
“I wanted to make sure my vote counted,” Murphy said.
Carol Stephenson voted for Luther at the Ward 4 polling site Tuesday.
“I’m hoping he will do some work on the infrastructure of the city,” Stephenson said. “I think he’s the most qualified.”
Also at the Ward 4 polling site, Mary Ann Goodwin said she voted for Lutman, noting that she likes how involved he is in the community.
“I like the work that he does with people and how he gets to know them. It’s not like he’s a stranger and afraid to talk to you,” Goodwin said. “I guess another one of my reasons is that he’s in my neighborhood and it’s not like you just see his car … you see him coming through checking on people and I like that.”
Lutman congratulated Luther on his campaign after the results came in Tuesday.
“He obviously ran a heck of a campaign. Bill and I know each other, and we’ve always gotten along,” Lutman said. “He’s going to be a fantastic representative of the Republican party, and he’s going to have a tough challenge against Veronica Creer.”
While Lutman said the mayoral campaign, which he formally announced last December, took its toll on him and his family, he said the community and his desire to serve it were well worth the grind.
"I’m just encouraged because we did it the right way. I’m encouraged by the spirit of this community, everyone who supported me. I’ve won because I’ve been obedient to what God told me to do,” said Lutman, a sergeant and community relations supervisor for the El Dorado Police Department.
“And all the little kids in the (El Dorado) school district who were pulling for me, I want them to know I won’t get a participating trophy. I’m going to have to work hard and try again,” he added.
For Luther, the campaign grind will continue and amp in the weeks and months leading to Election Day on Nov. 6.
Luther — a recently retired engineer and customer service manager for Entergy’s El Dorado office and community volunteer who has sat on a number of boards, commissions and committees that serve the community — also congratulated Lutman on a “great campaign.”
“I appreciate the type of campaign he ran. This election was very clean, in my estimation,” Luther said.
“Chris and I share a desire to make El Dorado the greatest place to live, and I wish him and (his wife Karen) the best in their future endeavors,” he continued.
Luther thanked his own wife, Barbie, the El Dorado Professional Firefighters Local 1074 and other campaign supporters.
“They supported us and kept us motivated during this extended time of the campaign. They stood with us. I continue to be humbled by the people of this community,” he said.
He reminded voters, however, that their work won’t be done until the polls close at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 6 for the General Election.
“I’m looking forward to getting out and meeting citizens I have not talked to yet and sharing with them my vision on prosperity and growth for all of El Dorado,” Luther said.
Creer said she is also planning to step up her campaign and meet with citizens as she too prepares for the general election in November.
Reporters Caitlan Butler and Kaitlyn Rigdon contributed information used in this article.
Tia Lyons may be contacted at 870-862-6611 or by email at tlyons@ eldoradonews.com.