The results of the August 11 partisan primary are in for Pierce County, and they are selective. The whole point of a partisan primary, after all, is to select who gets listed for a party on the final election ballot come November. So who’s in, and who’s out, candidate wise?

In the first case, it’s Halle E. Hatch with 1,990 votes to 1,323 for Sean Froelich for Pierce County District Attorney. Both were running as registered Democrats, with no registered Republican candidate for the office but 98 write-ins. The Constitution Party did not contest the District Attorney’s race, although a write-in vote for the Constitution Party did get registered from Ward 1 of Maiden Rock.

As to the District Three U.S. House race come November, it will be incumbent Ron Kind facing off against Derrick Van Orden of Hager City. Kind won his Democratic primary challenge from Mark Neumann by 2,749 votes to Neumann’s 653 votes in the county, while Van Orden won the Republican primary for District 3 against Jessi Ebben with 2,493 votes countywide to Ebben’s 810. Both county results were replicated at the District level, resulting in ballot appearance. The Constitution Party did not contest District 3, although Ward 1 of Maiden Rock registered a write-in or “scattering” vote. This pattern of one would re-assert itself once more.

Regarding Pierce County offices outside the District Attorney, there were no contested races within parties, or potentially between candidates of different parties come November, following the August 11 primary ballot. To that end, Jamie R. Feuerhelm will run unopposed for Pierce County Clerk as a Democrat, along with Julie K. Hines as Register of Deeds, also a Democrat. One write-in vote was registered from Ward 1 of Maiden Rock village for Pierce County Clerk.

For the Treasurer’s race meanwhile, Kathy Fuchs will run unopposed for Pierce County Treasurer, although as a Republican rather than a Democrat, garnering 2,874 ‘ayes’ to 24 write-ins. The Democratic side for Treasurer, meanwhile, had 133 scattered write-ins with no official candidate, and no opposition to either party registered under the Constitution Party preference in Ward 1 of Maiden Rock. Not every race, requires one to vote—that way there’s no obligation.

On the state government level, meanwhile, Rock Stafsholt faced off with Cherie Link for District 10 Senator as Republicans, while on the other side of the balloting map it was Patty Schachtner running unopposed for District 10 Senator as a Democrat. With Stafsholt winning over Link to get on the Republican ticket come November at the district level, the local results were somewhat different. In Rock Elm, for instance, Link narrowly edged out Stafsholt with 125 votes to 10, while in Ward 5 to 14 of River Falls Link did likewise, with 446 votes to Stafsholt’s 391.

Assembly District 30 was not contested on the party level, but in November the contest is set to be made between incumbent Shannon Zimmerman and challenger Sarah Yacoub, with Zimmerman polling in 777 votes versus one write-in from among Republican partisans, while Sarah Yacoub polled 1,384 votes to six write-ins amongst Democrats. Neither candidate faced an opposition candidate from within their own party. There was still District 93 to tally, though.

The contest for Assembly District 93 was also uncontested at the party primary level, but come November it’s set to be a faceoff between Charlene Charlie Warner running as a Democrat against incumbent Warren Petryk, with Petryk scoring 543 more primary votes among partisan Republican voters than Warner did among Democratic primary voters. All told, 2,318 Republicans voted for Petryk while just 1,775 Democrats voted for Warner. On the flip side, Petryk scored a total of 11 write-ins to just 2 write-ins for Warner.

Apart from scattered write-ins on most seats, the Constitution Party did not contest seats within its ranks—but that could change with the brackets in November. Partisan primaries are only to test candidates with their own supporters, after all. Barring a challenger within the party, a primary is moot. See you in November, on-site or by the mail.