Fayette DA honored by election victory
District Attorney Nancy D. Vernon said she is honored that the people of Fayette County sent her onto the general election as their Democratic candidate. “I’m pleased to have won and look forward to serving the constituents for another four years,” said Vernon on Wednesday.
Since there are no Republican contenders for the office, Vernon is virtually assured of victory in the November general election.
Vernon John Cupp Jr. by 4,162 votes, garnering 14,132, or 59 percent, of the votes in Tuesday’s primary election. Cupp finished with 9,970 votes.
This was Cupp’s second run for the district attorney’s office. He and Etta Warman lost to Vernon in the 1999 primary election.
Vernon said she is looking forward to another four years in the office, vowing to keep up her tough stance on crime. She said she is also eager to see the county’s Drug Task Force, which she heads, work towards eradicating drugs in the area.
In her campaign, Vernon touted the task force that she restarted when she took office in 2000, along with the implementation of the Ignition Interlock System. The system is installed on the vehicles of those convicted of driving under the influence and requires they blow into a breathalyzer-type device to start the car.
Vernon also said she was proud to have streamlined the court system by putting prosecutors on the district justice level to deal with cases early on, rather than waiting until they get to court.
Her victory comes two years after losing the primary race to become the county’s first female judge to former prosecutor Steve P. Leskinen.