Benjamin Reed won the Democratic primary for Judge of the First Judicial Circuit in Jackson County. Reed is one step closer to becoming Judge; all that is left is facing off against the Republican primary uncontested victor, Jamie Snyder, in November.
The Democratic primary was contested by two other candidates, Heather Heaslett and Casey VanWinkle. The results for each of the Democratic candidates were:
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- VanWinkle, 786 votes, 16.95%
- Heaslett, 1,659 votes, 35.77%
- Reed, 2,193 votes, 47.28%
The total was 4,638 votes, according to the unofficial Jackson County March 2026 General Primary Election Results.
“We had a lot more people vote in this primary than we were expecting,” Reed said in a phone call with the Daily Egyptian on March 18, 2026.
Reed is a Murphysboro native and an SIU alumnus who practices family law at his law firm across the street from the Jackson County Courthouse. Reed has been licensed since 2012, but before that, he helped his family law firm as a young boy.
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Reed said that the biggest contributor to his success was the connections he has made throughout the years.
“I’ve got deep roots here. I have been involved here since I was a kid,” he said, adding, “Helping so many people in different ways over the years was very helpful when I was seeking office, because I had so many connections with people that I had helped. Both professionally and with the work that I do on the side.”
Reed said his campaign was supported by friends and family, “who stepped up,” and “did all kinds of work” for his campaign.
“It’s been a very humbling experience,” Reed said.
Reed’s campaign was mostly focused on his qualifications as a local experienced attorney with favorable results in his judicial advisory poll.
Reed reflected on his first time running for any elected position.
“It was a strange process and experience,” he said. “I am not a politician. I have always considered myself to be a darn good lawyer, but I am not used to running for a political office.”
When asked about his campaign plans for November, Reed said he was uncertain about the next steps, but confident in his ability.
“We will have to re-group and recalibrate. Our overall messaging is not going to change, and that is built around my career and what I’ve done up until now,” he said.
Staff Reporter Brayden Guy can be reached at [email protected]
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