Republicans pick Callanan; No winner for Democrats

Democratic nominee will be chosen at County Convention

The primary election is over, but the slate is not quite set for the District 2 Supervisor race in November’s General Election. While Republican Casey Callanan, of Clear Lake, captured enough votes to become his party’s candidate in November, no Democratic candidate received the necessary 35 percent of the vote.

 Democratic County Chair John Stone is expected to schedule a county convention to determine which candidate will be on the ballot in the fall for the party. All persons, not just Wedmore and Grandon, could be considered as candidates by 13 delegates charged with determining the Democratic nominee. Tentative plans are for the nominating convention to be held Wednesday, June 18, at 6 p.m. in the board room on the first floor of the Cerro Gordo County Courthouse.
The Cerro Gordo County Board of Supervisors were in the process of canvassing the vote Tuesday. It was not expected that the canvass would eliminate the need for a county convention, however, absentee ballots received after the election but postmarked by June 2, were still eligible to be counted.
The early results from the Tuesday, June 2 election showed Adam Wedmore, from Rockwell, received 159 votes (32.99 percent), while Michael Grandon, of Clear Lake, garnered 158 (32.78 percent). Both of those totals represented just under 33 percent of the ballots cast. The field also included John Drury, from Swaledale, who received 88 votes (18 percent), and Doug Nelson, of Clear Lake, with 71 (14.7 percent).
As expected, Wedmore carried his home township (Geneseo), capturing 102 of 129 votes cast. Grandon dominated Clear Lake’s three wards, as well as Clear Lake, Grant and Union Townships by a margin of 130-33.
On the Republican side, Casey Callanan won a three-person race with 524 votes (42 percent). Scott Kennedy finished second with 415 votes (33 percent) while Ivan Good finished third with 303 votes (24 percent).
In other primary races, Cerro Gordo County voters helped Joni Ernst become the Republican Party’s nominee for the U.S. Senate. She defeated four other candidates in the primary election. Congressman Bruce Braley will face Ernst for the Senate seat now held by the retiring Democrat Tom Harkin. Ernst won over 56 percent of Tuesday’s primary vote.  In Cerro Gordo County, she captured just over 42 percent of the vote (809).
Braley was unopposed in his bid for the Democratic Party’s U.S. Senate nomination. Braley, a lawyer from Waterloo, was first elected to congress in 2006.
Republican Linda Upmeyer was unopposed in her bid for re-election as District 54 State Representative.
Incumbent Democratic District 27 State Senator Amanda Ragan was also unopposed.