GOP has field day in Greene County

By ANDREW MCGINN
a.mcginn@beeherald.com

He was a longshot candidate.

An outsider looked at with some suspicion who promised change over his establishment rival.

And on Tuesday, voters in the general election ushered Peter Bardole into office alongside a wave of fellow Republicans up and down the ticket.

Bardole won the District 5 seat on the Greene County board of supervisors Tuesday over four-term incumbent Guy Richardson by 935 votes, according to final, unofficial results from the Greene County Auditor’s Office.

Bardole, a Rippey farmer and Jefferson resident who virtually was made to swear allegiance during the campaign to both city and rural issues, ousted Richardson, a Jefferson businessman who played a high-profile role in landing Wild Rose Casino, 60.59 percent to 39.25 percent.

“I’ve been humbled by what people have said about me and their support,” Bardole said Wednesday.

Bardole, 50, said he was elected by people “looking for a young person to come in for change.”

He said he’ll prove he can represent both the ag community and those who live in town.

“I was for everybody,” he said.

Bardole said he anticipated a close race, considering the two first clashed in June’s Republican primary. Richardson, 67, lost the primary by a mere 65 votes, leading him to launch his re-election bid as an independent.

There was no Democrat in the race.

“I was very surprised,” Bardole said. “I thought it would be a lot closer.”

That was presumably the reaction after most of Tuesday’s races.

Richardson was the lone incumbent to be defeated.

In the District 1 county supervisor race, Republican Mick Burkett won re-election over Grand Junction Democrat Alan Robinson 64.83 percent to 35.03 percent.

Republican John Muir, current chairman of the county board of supervisors, won his District 4 re-election bid with 69.84 percent of the vote to 30 percent for Democrat Todd Madson, a former Jefferson mayor.

Republican sheriff candidate Jack Williams and incumbent Republican auditor Jane Heun ran unopposed.

In a three-way, nonpartisan race for a Jefferson city council seat, retired industrial tech teacher Dan Benitz won with 63.33 percent of the vote, leaving Matt Wetrich with 18.42 percent and Kirk Hammer with 18.04 percent.

In state and national races, Greene went red all the way, helping re-elect U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, U.S. Rep. Steve King, state Sen. Jerry Behn and state Rep. Chip Baltimore, all Republicans.

King, the controversial western Iowa congressman who seems impervious to defeat on Election Day, was re-elected with 61.3 percent of the total Fourth District vote to Sheldon Democrat Kim Weaver’s 38.5 percent.

King won Greene County with 58.69 percent of the vote to Weaver’s 41.24 percent.

At the top of the ticket, Democrat Hillary Clinton lost Greene County to Republican President-elect Donald Trump by 1,131 votes (58.53 percent to 35.05 percent).

Trump went on to win Iowa 51.2 percent to Clinton’s 41.7 percent.

It was the biggest rout by a presidential candidate in traditionally purple Greene County in years.

After all, Republican Mitt Romney won Greene County in 2012 over President Barack Obama by just five votes.

Obama won the county in 2008 over John McCain by 22 votes.

Local voters in 2004 backed President George W. Bush’s re-election over Democrat John Kerry by 159 votes, but backed Democrat Al Gore over Bush in 2000 by 19 votes.

Local voter turnout Tuesday stood at 71.43 percent.