It is primary election season. Ballots were to start being mailed out this week to registered voters, even those who are unaffiliated. Ballots are due back to the County Clerk’s Office by 7 p.m. on June 28.
Registered Republican voters will receive their party’s ballot, and the same for registered Democrats.
Unaffiliated voters will receive both parties’ ballots, but only one ballot may be returned.
Locally, all the action is on the Republican side.
Adam Gates and Jamie Unger each are running for the party’s endorsement for Yuma County Commissioner District 1, which is coming open as incumbent Trent Bushner is not running for another term.
Incumbent Yuma County Sheriff Todd Combs and Curtis Witte are squaring off on the Republican ticket.
All other county elected positions up for election are unopposed — incumbent Bev Wenger for Clerk and Recorder, Chrystal Hammond for Treasurer, Cindy Taylor for Assessor, and Javan Jones for Coroner.
Look for more about the candidates in the contested races in upcoming editions.
Democrats do not have any candidates for the county positions up for election. However, the winner of the Commissioner District 1 primary could have a challenger in November as Dwaine Weinrich has filed his intention to run for the seat as unaffiliated. He will have to go through the petition process this summer to get on the ballot.
Redistricting after the 2020 census has put Yuma County in State House District 63. Washington County also is in the same district — the two counties were in separate districts before redistricting.
Current state Representative Richard Holtorf of Akron is running for the District 63 seat, and has a primary election as Yuma County’s Jessie Vance also is vying for the Republican nod.
Republican Mike O’Donnell, who lives in southern Yuma County is one of three candidates for Secretary of State, along with Tina Peters and Pam Anderson.
The Republicans have a primary for governor between Greg Lopez and Heidi Ganahl.
There is a Republican primary race for U.S. Senator between Ron Hanks and Joe O’Dea, as well as for the Fourth Congressional District between incumbent Ken Buck and Robert Lewis.
The Democrats do not have candidates for state Senate District 1 nor House District 63. The Democrats have just one candidate for U.S. Senator, Fourth Congressional District, governor, secretary of state, state treasurer, and attorney general.
