Macon County voters cast 4,197 ballots in Tuesday’s primary, according to unofficial results released by the county clerk’s office, and nearly nine in ten of them were Republican.
The party breakdown: 3,641 Republican ballots, 473 Democratic, 26 Libertarian and 57 nonpartisan. Republicans accounted for 86.7 percent of the county’s turnout. Absentee voting supplied 397 of the total; the remaining 3,800 ballots were cast on election day.
A two-vote separation at the top of the ticket
The closest finish in the county came in the Republican primary for the 6th Congressional District, the northern Missouri seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Sam Graves. Radio host Chris Stigall took 1,166 votes in Macon County; Kansas City Councilman Nathan Hall Willett took 1,164. Two votes separated them.
Nathanael Schultz drew 393, Jim Ingram 392 and Cody J. Oshel 107.
Macon County is one county in a district that stretches from the Missouri River to the Mississippi, so the local split settles nothing on its own; the nomination turns on the district-wide count.
On the Democratic side, Josh Smead led in Macon County with 205 votes, followed by Matt Levine at 155 and Scot Pondelick at 70. Andy Maidment was unopposed on the Libertarian ballot with 18 votes.
State Senate
Macon County sits in the 18th Senate District, the 14-county northeast Missouri seat that Sen. Cindy O’Laughlin is leaving. Local Republicans gave state Rep. Greg Sharpe of Ewing 1,316 votes, or 37.87 percent, to state Rep. Ed Lewis of Moberly at 1,239, or 35.65 percent. Dusty Blue of Mexico drew 920.
Nick Miller led the Democratic primary in the county with 267 votes to John Leykamp’s 166.
State auditor
Incumbent Republican Scott Fitzpatrick carried Macon County with 2,725 votes, or 87.28 percent, over Gerald (Jerry) Wistrand Jr., who took 397. Quentin Wilson led the Democratic primary locally with 274 votes to Gregory Upchurch’s 158.
County offices
Only two county races drew a contest, and both were on the Republican ballot.
For county treasurer, Krista Bruno took 2,178 votes, or 61.28 percent, to Chelsea October Rice’s 1,376.
For collector of revenue, Rhonda Anno took 2,053 votes, or 57.60 percent. Dana Halstead finished with 1,018, or 28.56 percent, and Sue Gladbach with 493.
Six Republicans ran unopposed: Kristen Harvey for recorder of deeds, Kristen Burks for associate circuit judge, Josh Meisner for prosecuting attorney, Twila L. Halley-Osborn for circuit clerk, Tammy Perkins for county clerk and Dean Still for presiding commissioner. Kelly Gatts was unopposed for the Republican nomination for state representative, and Robert Johnson was unopposed on the Democratic ballot.
What happens next
All figures are unofficial until the county board of elections completes its canvass, which under state law includes provisional ballots and any qualifying absentee ballots still arriving. Certified results follow the canvass.