Voters approve Asbury, Dameron, C

“We did it!” shrieked Dorinda Dameron to her small entourage in the Huntsville Courthouse.

Dameron, who is very involved in community activities but has never before run for public office, had just learned she had won in the first step towards becoming Randolph County Clerk.

Dameron emphasized the word “we” saying, “There is no way I could have done this by myself.

Party loyalties were divided in Tuesday’s elections. At a local hometown level where friendships outweigh party affiliations, many persons expressed frustration at having to choose a Democrat or Republican ballot.

In the county races, there was more competition for offices than in past years but no upsets were seen in the primary.

While Dameron was ecstatic at winning the Democrat primary against her opponent Wanda Finnigan, it was a very close race with Tuesday night’s unofficial tally at 810-723. Dameron will face off against Republican Will Ellis in November.

In the treasurer’s race, incumbent Becky Brown won handily over challenger Melissa Anderson, 1228-279. Brown will meet Penny Henry in the fall election.

There were three Republican candidates vying for the District 22 state representative seat being vacated by Therese Sander. This position encompasses Randolph County and portions of Chariton and Macon counties. Randy Asbury, who currently serves as Randolph County Commissioner for the western district, won this three-man race. Totals were Asbury, 1717; Tim Remole, 1015; and Doug Farnen, 243. Asbury will run against Democrat Doug Galaske in November, with whom he served as county commissioner.

Blaine Luetkemeyer, took nearly 86 percent of the vote against opponent James Baker by a vote of 1,798-296. Steven Wilson beat Christopher Dwyei on the Libertarian ticket by a vote of 14-4. There are no Democrats seeking this seat.

There were three Democrats and nine Republicans running for the U.S. Senator job becoming available with the retirement of Senator Kit Bond. But what looked on the surface to be a true race saw no surprises in outcome with Democrat Robin Carnahan, current Missouri Secretary of State, and Republican Roy Blunt, now U.S. Representative, winning their respective races. Carnahan garnered nearly 84 percent of Democrat ballots and Blunt receiving almost 71 percent of the large field of contenders.

While not all voters are sure it will make a difference in outcome, they made sure their voices were heard in regards to health care Tuesday. Proposition C was placed on the ballot regarding the Federal mandate to purchase health insurance. The unofficial vote for the measure was 667,680 – 271,102. The only areas in which the measure failed was Boone County St. Louis and Kansas City. With uncertainty over the legal binding of the issue, the 3-1 vote tells the President and Congress what voters really think of the plan and the lack of public input that went into it.

August may see a slow-down in campaigning with a renewed vigor in September preparing for the final push in November for an election that some are saying will be a turning point in the country’s history.