Cooper clinches District Three Supervisor nomination
Nick Johansen
The Red Oak Express
The unofficial results are in from the Montgomery County Primary. A total of 2,361 ballots were cast.
In the only contested local race, District Three County Supervisor, it was Republican challenger Randy Cooper defeating incumbent Bryant Amos by a vote of 235 -196 for the Republican nomination.
After securing the nomination, Cooper expressed his sincere thanks to everyone who exercised their right to vote in the primary.
“I am especially grateful to those who put their trust in me and cast their ballot for “the new guy.” I’m overwhelmed, thankful, and proud to be the Republican nominee for District Three Supervisor,” said Cooper.
While the nomination is secure, Cooper said there’s plenty for his campaign to prepare for.
“There is much work to be done to win the general election in November, and there is much work to be done between now and then. The culmination of this process, and the one I look forward to, is the Oath of Office, which I will uphold with honor. I am now asking for the people in District Three to vote for me in November, and I am humbled to have their support. My focus will be directed towards acquiring votes for the general election, and learning more about the processes involved with county government. A positive change in leadership is a good thing when an entity has stagnated,” Cooper advised.
The current pandemic, Cooper said, made things complicated in the time leading up to the primary.
“With the COVID-19 crisis, and the related isolations, normal campaigning was nonexistent. Thankfully, I had a good network of friends and family to help spread the word, augmented with some advertising. But that doesn’t diminish my disappointment that I was unable to meet directly with voters before the primary. I feel it is imperative to share ideas and concerns with citizens and for both sides to gain an understanding of the other’s position in order to have a better government.” Cooper explained.
Cooper is focused on protecting the county’s infrastructure and improving the condition of the county roads. It is his belief that his concerns over the conditions of the roads is shared by many — especially rural folks who drive on them in all weather conditions — and that everyone in the county will benefit from better roads, and farmers, in particular, will be better able to get their crops and livestock to market.
Amos, who has served four terms in the seat, said the outcome was not a shocking one.
“I realize that I have been in office for a long time and sometimes that can work against you. I’m good at knowing when to be conservative but I also know being too conservative can get you so far behind that there is no catching up.” Amos explained.
While Amos lost the Republican nomination on June 2, he said he has made the decision to challenge Cooper in November.
“This was a very close race, and as I reflect on all my accomplishments on this county board, I have decided to remain on the November ballot as a nonpartisan candidate. I’m very proud of these successes and I would like to keep this county moving forward,” said Amos.
Like other candidates in the county, Amos said the pandemic had quite an adverse effect on his normal style of campaigning.
“COVID limited my contact with people greatly. I found it important not to infringe on anyone’s personal space. We made all contact by phone for the placement of campaign signs and to talk about any county business. Due to the pandemic I also decided to utilize social media. This proved to be a good place to display actual facts with explanations and solutions with reason,” Amos explained
Despite the outcome, Amos said he is very appreciative to all of his supporters and voters.
“I want to thank all who took the time to vote, opted to display a campaign sign and those who have supported me throughout this 16-year journey. All this encouragement has meant so much to me. This race, more than any other, has helped me realize that I have only two family members locally. Therefore, most of my support comes from true genuine friendships which have developed since 1982. That is something I am also very thankful for and proud of,” commented Amos.
This year’s primary was quite different than in year’s past. Montgomery County Auditor Stephanie Burke said voting was up, as well as absentee balloting.
“In 2016, 115 people voted absentee and 793 voted at the polls. In 2014, there were 266 who voted absentee and 1,372 voted at the polls. This year, it was the opposite.
2,038 voted absentee and only 334 voted at the polls. Montgomery County had record-breaking absentee numbers, due to absentee ballot request forms being mailed out to every registered voter coupled with the fear of exposing themselves to the very real risk of disease,” Burke said.
Burke added Despite serious and unprecedented challenges, the primary election ran very smoothly in Montgomery County, as well as across the state.
“COVID-19 made us make very quick changes and challenged us to think outside of the box. We cut polling place locations from seven to two. By doing this, it reduced the number of poll workers needed. To minimize health risks, we made plexiglass table shields,” commented Burke. “Each precinct had PPE that was provided by the Iowa Secretary of State and Montgomery County Emergency Management. Not only did the voter get an I-Voter sticker, they left with a pen as we provided a new pen to each voter. With the Courthouse closed, we offered curbside voting in the courthouse parking lot days leading up to June 2. Workers of all levels of this election hazarded their health because of their dedication in the principles of our democracy.”
Burke ran unopposed in the primary for her position as County Auditor, and received 1,688 votes. There were no write ins. She said she was grateful for the voter support.
“Through the Covid-19 pandemic, nationwide absentee voting controversy, rushed election changes, and city curfews, we showed up to give Iowans a voice in the 2020 Primary Election and had record breaking voter turnout. I want to express my appreciation to my staff in the auditor’s office, fellow auditors in the State of Iowa, Montgomery County IT, voters, candidates and to the precinct election officials. Poll workers, the absentee team, and all other election officials were ready to brave the hurdles to make sure people exercised their right to vote. This was an election like never before, and we will never forget. We don’t know how this pandemic is going to play out by the General Election in November. Maybe it goes away. Maybe it doesn’t. Iowa must plan as though it doesn’t and we need to start planning now,” said Burke.
For District Five County Supervisor, Republican incumbent Donna Robinson received 313 votes, there were no write-ins.
Robinson expressed her appreciation to the voters who participated in the primary, for their unanimous support.
I want to thank the voters for their continued support of me, and I look forward to being re-elected in November. There will be challenging times ahead of us, with the loss of tax revenue due to Covid 19. Our board will work at making tough decisions and give our best,” said Robinson.
As others have expressed, the COVID-19 pandemic made this year’s primary challenging.
“This election was totally different, and I want to say thanks to the Auditor’s office and staff for their work in getting it all done. We may see a new direction moving forward with the way people vote, as many people were very pleased with the absentee process,” commented Robinson.
Jon Spunaugle received 1,659 votes for the Republican nomination for Montgomery County Sheriff. There were no write-ins.
Local candidate for State Senator, District 12 Joey Norris received 550 votes for the Democratic nomination, and 100 percent of the vote.
Norris praised his supporters, and also offered praise to the candidate who challenged Mark Costello on the Republican ticket.
“I feel extremely grateful for the support from nearly 3000 fellow democrats in the area. Who we’ve got for representation just plain isn’t doing the job, and the folks who voted for me know that. I am deeply honored to be their champion in the next leg of this fight. I am also grateful for Richard Crouch’s run on the Republican ticket. I wholeheartedly believe we need someone who is present and active in our communities, and Crouch would have been a much-needed step-up from our current Senator. It takes a lot of courage to run against an incumbent like that, and win or lose, we’re better for his run,” Norris adviseed.
Norris outlined his plans for his campaign as he moves towards the general election in November.
“My future plans include county-wide kickoffs for Ringgold, Taylor, Page, Fremont, and Mills counties. I have excellent groups of hard working folks in each county helping our vision take shape. I’ll be calling all the fellow candidates from this primary election to learn more about the future communities they hope to see built and how we can accomplish our goals together,” said Norris. “With COVID seeing a flourish in our District, I will continue to make hours of phone calls and write mountains of postcards and letters to voters. I believe it is as important as ever to maintain safe interactions with our neighbors so any events will include face masks for those that do not already have one.”
In statewide races, Joni Ernst received all the votes for U.S. Senator in the county primary, with 1,686 votes.
For the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senator, Theresa Greenfield was the top vote getter in the county, with 35o votes. Mike Franken earned 115 votes, Kimberly Graham 69 votes, Eddie Mauro 34 votes, and Cal Woods received six votes.
David Young was the county vote winner in the contested race for U.S. Representative, District Three, receiving 1,368 votes. Bill Schafer snagged 340 votes.
Incumbent Democrat Cindy Axne received 100 percent of the county vote for Distirct Three U.S. Representative, with 556 votes.
In the primary race for State Senator, District 12, Republican incumbent Mark Costello defeated challenger Richard Crouch in the county, by a vote of 1,036 to 650.
Republican Incumbent Dave Sieck also defeated his challenger in county voting, Charlotte Dunnett for State Representative District 23. The final count was 932 to 221 in favor of Sieck.
The final primary race was uncontested, for State Representative, District 24. Democrat Chris Adcock received 129 votes, there were no write-ins.