[8/06/03]The doctor is still in.

State Rep. Chester Masterson, a retired physician, easily took the Republican nomination in Tuesday’s primary voting and will return to the state Capitol in January for a new four-year term. He faces no opposition in the November general election.

Masterson, 70, defeated 40-year-old Alex Monsour, a businessman, by a vote of 1,649 to 869.

Masterson said he has been campaigning hard during the past few months. “I’m just glad it’s over,” he said Tuesday night at his victory party at Mission Primary Care Clinic. “Now I get to focus on resting for a few days.”

In the next legislative session Masterson said he plans to continue working to improve health care for all Mississippians.

Masterson was first elected to the House from District 54 in 2001 after Mike Chaney gave it up to seek the Senate seat he has held since.

“I think we ran a good campaign,” a sunburned Monsour said at his post-election gathering at Maxwell’s Restaurant. “We just came up a little short.”

Monsour’s theme was bringing more family entertainment and jobs to Vicksburg and Warren County.

In other House races:

Rep. America “Chuck” Middleton of Port Gibson, won the District 85 Democratic nomination with 4,040 votes. Arnold Clark of Jefferson County had 1,858, Walter Huston of Jefferson County had 982 and Jerry Sims of Jefferson County had 25 votes.

With 56 of 60 precincts reporting in District 36, Sen. Lynn Posey of Union Church won 7,010 votes, but needed 159 to avoid a primary runoff against Vincent E. Davis of Fayette, who had 4,561. Johnnie McDaniels of Pattison had 2,765 votes.

District 36 includes Claiborne, Copiah, Hinds, Jefferson and Lincoln counties. If no candidate has more than 50 percent of the votes when all of the precincts report, a runoff will be Aug. 26.

The winner will face Republican Charles H. Stogner of Jackson in the general election on Nov. 4.

Incumbent Rep. Jep Barbour of Yazoo City won the Republican nomination for District 56 with 2,715 votes. Philip Gunn of Clinton had 2,196 votes.

Barbour will face Democrat Paige Eaves Gill of Madison County in the general election.

In the general election, Chaney, a 59-year-old Republican businessman, will be challenged by Democrat Marcie Tanner Southerland, 49, who resigned her seat as Northern District Justice Court judge to make the bid for the Senate. She was not challenged in her bid for the Democratic nomination.

George Flaggs of Vicksburg, Democratic incumbent in House District 55, is unopposed.