Incumbents win re-election
Incumbents win re-election Turnout strong in county By STU MERRY A new President, Barack Obama, was elected, and a number of national races saw a changing of the guard, but statewide and locally, incumbent was the magic word to be re-elected as all incumbents in statewide races were re-elected. In District 8, incumbents Reps. Jeff Delzer, Underwood (5,016 votes), Dwight Wrangham, Bismarck (4,670), and Sen. Layton Freborg, Underwood (5,367), all Republicans, were re-elected over their D-NPL House challengers Audrey Boe Olsen, Turtle Lake (3,725), Ken Baker, Coleharbor (3,115), and Senate hopeful Wes Weible, Turtle Lake (3,535). In District 4, Sen. John Warner, D-NPL, Ryder, ran unopposed and was re-elected. In the House race, Kenton Onstad, D-NPL incumbent from Parshall, was re-elected with 3,203 votes. Joining Onstad in the State House will be Tom Conklin, D-NPL, Garrison, who narrowly defeated fellow Garrisonite and GOP candidate Daryl Lies 2,657 to 2,523. Both were first-time candidates. Incumbent Ron Krebsbach, Garrison, ran unopposed and will represent the 2nd County Commission District. Incumbent Myron Lick, Ruso, was unopposed and was re-elected supervisor for the South McLean Soil Conservation District. Re-elected supervisor for the West McLean Soil Conservation District was incumbent Byron Holtan, Garrison. Another common theme throughout Tuesday’s General Election was voter turnout. Just as voters turned out en masse across the country, citizens in McLean County turned out in high numbers as well to do their civic duty. Voter turnout in the county for Tuesday’s General election was 4,781. Four years ago, 4,806 county residents cast their ballots in the General Election; eight years ago that number was 4,719. Interest was strong in all communities in the county as Election Day dawned. In Garrison, about 30 people were lined up in the entry and into the auditorium, anxious to cast their ballots as the polls opened at 9 a.m. At the Civic Center in Max, election officials said there was a lineup of about 10 voters waiting for the door to open, ready to cast their ballot. There was a line in Washburn for voting as well. Approximately 30 people were in line an hour after the doors opened, and, like most polling places in the county, it was very busy and steady with a line all day.
