The Lincoln County Republican Party is celebrating a newchairman after Saturday afternoon’s caucus.

John Roberts, of Brookhaven, was elected chairman of theRepublican Party, with Adam Calcote elected vice chairman andBarbara Davis elected to the position of secretary.

Roberts succeeds 24-year chairman Chuck Nelms, who said he hasseen the party make great strides in the years since he took overthe helm in Lincoln County.

“There are lots of things in my tenure here that I’m very proudof,” Nelms said. “The Republican Party has come a long way, andLincoln County has led the way for us in Southwest Mississippi forfour decades.”

Roberts said he is proud to be the new local Republican leader,and he wants to see the party grow and become more diverse inLincoln County.

“I’m really excited to be chairman,” he said. “I want to see usbring everybody in that we can, and we want to be moreinclusive.”

House District 92 Rep. Becky Currie said the turnout for thecaucus and the interest shown by local citizens is a greatindicator that the party is still steadily growing in her homedistrict. She said with a congressional and senate seat open, notto mention the presidential election, the next year will be acrucial one not only for the area, but for the state and the nationas well.

“The Republicans came out and voted and I think we are goinginto a very important year,” she said. “Looking at the turnout,we’re very excited about the numbers, because it looks like thegrassroots of the Republican Party will pull through for LincolnCounty.”

Roberts said one of his focuses will be to see more Republicancounty officials, saying the county votes Republican in state andnational elections, but that the county elections are still almostexclusively Democrat.

“We’ve always been a Republican county, and I’d even like to seea few officials switch over and run as Republicans,” he said.