Video: District Attorney Race

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COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI)- It has become one of the most talked about campaigns this election season.

The race for District Attorney in the 16th Circuit Court.

Forrest Allgood is the DA now, and his challenger, is  Columbus city prosecutor Scott Colom.

Crime and punishment.

That’s at the heart of the hotly contested race for District Attorney.

“I think it’s a race of fundamentally different focuses. I think one of the focuses of the criminal justice system, should be the victim’s wishes, the victim’s desire, trying to affect them,if at all possible,” District Attorney Forrest Allgood said.

Now, incumbent Forrest Allgood and former Aberdeen city judge Scott Colom only have days left to convince voters of their message .

“Tough smart Fair. That Tough means I’m going to be tough on violent crimes, because I understand that violence destroys families and destroys communities,” Columbus Prosecutor Scott Colom said.

Allgood has been a prosecutor for 26 years. He believes experience gives him an upper hand.

“If your wife was getting ready to have a baby, who would you go to? The doctor that’s delivered 400 babies, or the doctor that has never delivered one.”

But, Colom is confident in his chances.

And he points at what he says is Allgood’s track record.

“His experience hasn’t been good. He has a record of sending innocent people to jail and wasting million of tax dollars having his convictions reversed on appeal,” Colom said.

Allgood said when it comes to specific cases, the science has improved in the last two decades.

“When you look at it back then, from advantage point of 20 years ago, the case didn’t look that bad, now, thank the lord science has moved forward, and we can identify some of the errors that have been made and that’s what apparently was done there,” Allgood said.

If elected, Allgood said his strategy is simple.

“The same thing I’ve been bringing. Not a single city in my district made the list of most dangerous cities in my district, one of them made the most safest,” Allgood said.

While Colom plans to bring a more fresher approach.

“I think it’s an opportunity to prioritize the safety of our communities with new ideas and a new approach, and that’s basically like I said, tough on violent crimes, smart on non violent crimes, and fair to everything,” Colom said.

Allgood reports raising nearly $50,000 so far this year.

During the same time  Colom raised almost $135,000.

And Mississippi Safety and Justice PAC is contributing to the Colom campaign through more than $150,000 in television, radio and print advertising.