JERSEYVILLE – While most of the nation seems to be riding the blue wave of Democrats taking the house, Jerseyville voted staunchly Republican with very little variation.
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STATE OF ILLINOIS
Despite most of the people of Illinois choosing Democrat candidates for the highest offices in the state, Jersey County voters chose Republican incumbent Bruce Rauner with 49 percent. Winning Democrat J.B. Pritzker received 30 percent of the votes in the county with Conservative Sam McCann getting 19 percent and Libertarian Kash Jackson receiving only two percent of the votes.
Erika Harold also won Jersey County with 68 percent of the vote compared to Democrat winner Kwame Raoul's 28 percent in the race for Illinois Attoney General. Libertarian Bubba Harsy received only four percent of Jersey County's votes.
Alton native Jesse White lost to Republican Jason Helland for the position of Secretary of the State of Illinois in Jersey County 48 percent to 50 percent, despite winning the state. Three percent of that vote went to Libertarian Steve Dutner who vowed to privatize the DMV.
Democrat Michael Frerichs won the state in the race for treasurer, but lost Jersey County to Republican Jim Dodge 64 percent to 32 percent with the remaining four percent going to Libertarian Michael Leheney.
FEDERAL ELECTIONS
Republican Rodney Davis won reelection in the 13th Congressional District, and Jersey County. He received 68 percent of the vote compared to Democratic opponent Betsy Dirksen Londrigan's 32 percent. He won with a small margin overall.
ILLINOIS GENERAL ASSEMBLY
One Democrat did win, however. Rachelle Aud Crowe defeated Edwardsville Mayor Hal Patton in Jersey County and overall. Patton ran under the flag of “Downstate United,” despite most of his funding coming from Republicans. She defeated him 54 percent to 46 percent.
Mike Babcock did defeat Democrat Monica Bristow in Jersey County, despite losing the race overall. He received 55 percent of the Jersey County vote compared to her 45 percent. She was appointed to finish the term of retiring representative Dan Beiser.
JERSEY COUNTY
There was only one contested race for a county seat in Jersey County, and it was taken by a Republican. Mike Ringhausen defeated sitting Jersey County Sheriff John Wimmersberg 54 percent to 46 percent. Wimmersberg was appointed by the Jersey County Board to finish the term of former Jersey County Sheriff Mark Kallal.
With a sliver of Madison County Superintendent of Schools district being within Jersey County, Jersey County voters agreed with their Madison County counterparts in the election of the first Republican in that position, Robert Werden, who defeated Andrew Paul Reinking nine votes to eight.
COUNTY BOARD
Several races on the Jersey County Board were contested. Here they are:
District One: Jarrod Hayes-R, 55 percent, Wayne E. Schell-D, 45 percent
District Two: Sandy Hefner-D, 53 percent, Terrie Kallal-R, 47 percent
District Three: Mark Wagner-R, 59 percent, Mary A. Drainer-D, 41 percent
District Four: William Koenig-R, 65 percent, Donald Little-D, 35 percent.
All judges up for retention in Jersey County were voted to be retained.
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