Slain Senator's Widow Elected

Charlotte Burks stood uncomfortably in the spotlight she never wanted, newly elected to a state senate seat she never sought.

"I don't know what to say," Burks said, surrounded by five of her grandchildren. "If Tommy were here he'd really be proud of y'all. It's kind of sad, but thanks."

Her husband, longtime state Sen. Tommy Burks, was shot to death on his hog farm Oct. 19. His opponent, Republican Byron Looper, is charged with killing the conservative Democrat. Looper, who legally changed his middle name to (Low Tax), ran his campaign from jail.

Burks' widow was urged to step forward as a write-in candidate. With all but one precinct reporting Wednesday, she had 30,072 votes, or 95 percent.

Looper, the Putnam County assessor, had 1,500 votes, or 5 percent.

Because the killing occurred within 30 days of Tuesday's election, Democrats were not allowed to replace Burks' name on the ballot. Mrs. Burks was persuaded to run, and her campaign blossomed even though she never campaigned.

Election officials in the eight-county district reported heavy turnout.

"I think the people were just so outraged by what happened to Senator Burks because he had done so much for us for so many years. People wanted to give back," said Missy Fincher, whose husband, Henry, coordinated the write-in effort.

Mrs. Burks said her main goal in office would be to carry on her husband's work.

During his 20 years in office, Burks was known for his support of law enforcement and agricultural programs. He also was the cosponsor of two constitutional amendments that were approved by voters Tuesday. One adds a crime victims' bill of rights to the constitution. The other removes the word "comfortable" from the list of requirements for state prisons.

By TOM SHARP