STAR JOURNAL REPORT

The polls were open Tuesday throughout Oneida County when 5,060 county voters cast ballots in the statewide partisan primary, in which candidates could only be chosen in a single political party.

The only contested countywide office in Oneida County was the race for county clerk, in which both candidates, Kerri Ison and Tracy Hartman, ran on the Republican Party ballot. Hartman, the Crescent town clerk, won the primary over Ison, a deputy county clerk, 1,463-1,162.

Barring a write-in campaign in November, Tuesday’s GOP primary effectively decided who will be the next county clerk with Hartman being the only candidate on the Nov. 8 general election ballot. The incumbent county clerk, Republican Mary Bartelt, decided not to seek another four-year term.

“I’m very excited,” Hartman said of winning the primary. “I can’t wait to start in January and serve Oneida County residents.”

Three other incumbent county officeholders whose current terms expire in early January are running unopposed. Those candidates and their respective primary vote totals include Republican district attorney Michael W. Schiek (2,183), Democratic county treasurer Kris Ostermann (1,676) and Republican register of deeds Kyle J. Franson (2,189).

Oneida County voters also favored the nominees who advanced to the general election in races for the U.S. Senate, House of Representatives and State Assembly.

Former U.S. Senator Russ Feingold, who easily won the Democratic nomination statewide for U.S. Senate, also bested primary opponent Scott Harbach in Oneida County, 2,024-148.

Feingold advances to the general election to face the Republican who defeated him six years ago, Ron Johnson, who received 2,184 votes from county voters in Tuesday’s primary. Libertarian U.S. Senate candidate Phillip N. Anderson received 10 primary votes in the county.

In the 7th Congressional District race, three-term Republican incumbent Sean Duffy won easily over primary opponent Donald Raihala. Duffy also bested Raihala in Oneida County, 2,128-342.

Duffy advances to the general election to face Democrat Mary Hoeft, who won in the primary over Joel Lewis. Hoeft also bested Lewis in Oneida County, 1,587-403.

In the two State Assembly races that include portions of Oneida County, contested Democratic primaries were decided.

In the 34th Assembly District, Matt Michalsen, a Lakeland Union High School social studies teacher and Lake Tomahawk town supervisor, defeated Lawrence Dale, an Eagle River insurance salesman, in the Democratic primary.

Oneida County voters also favored Michalsen over Dale, 1,395-362. Michalsen will face two-term Republican incumbent Rob Swearingen in the general election. Swearingen received 1,975 primary votes in the county.

In the 35th Assembly District, Renea Frederick won a three-way Democratic primary over Derek Woellner and Erik Pfantz. The vote in Oneida County also went for Frederick (68) over Woellner (52) and Pfantz (33). Frederick will face the Republican incumbent, Mary Czaja, in November.

There were no contested primaries in the 12th State Senate District, in which the Republican incumbent, Tom Tiffany, is seeking his second four-year term and will face a general election challenge from Democrat Bryan Van Stippen, a former Stevens Point City Council member. Their respective primary votes in Oneida County were 2,094 for Tiffany and 1,747 for Van Stippen.