Candidates selected in primaries for state Legislature in western Wisconsin

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) - Tuesday’s primary set up November’s election for who will represent western Wisconsin in the state Legislature.

Every two years, candidates are selected for the Wisconsin Assembly, and every four years, for the state’s Senate.

Tuesday’s primary narrowed down the field with nearly a dozen contested primaries in districts representing parts of western and northwestern Wisconsin.

In the state Senate, three Republican candidates vied for the seat being vacated by Kathy Bernier, who is not seeking re-election. Jesse James, who is leaving his spot in the Assembly, won the primary for State Senate District 23, which represents parts or all of Chippewa, Clark, Dunn, Eau Claire, Jackson, Marathon and Wood counties, with 50% of the vote over Brian Westrate (37%) and Sandra Scholz (13%). James will face registered write-in Democratic candidate Dan Hardy in November’s election.

Three more Republicans squared off in the State Senate District 29 primary, with Cory Tomczyk winning with 43% of the vote, edging Brent Jacobson (39%) and Jon Kaiser (18%). District 29 covers parts or all of Marathon, Rusk, Sawyer, Taylor and Wood counties. Tomczyk will face Democrat Bob Look in November to replace the retiring Jerry Petrowski.

Western Wisconsin state Assembly races were a little more lopsided. In Assembly District 68′s Republican primary, Karen Hurd earned 57% of the vote over Chris Connell (23%) and Hillarie Roth (19%) in her bid to replace Jesse James, who won the Republican primary in state Senate District 23. Hurd will see Democrat Nate Otto as her opponent in November’s election. Assembly District 68 includes parts or all of Chippewa, Clark and Eau Claire counties. To the south, in Assembly District 92, which includes parts or all of Buffalo, Eau Claire, Jackson, Pepin and Trempealeau counties, Treig Pronschinske dominated the Republican primary with 78% of the vote over Ryan Owens (22%). Pronschinske will see Democrat Maria Bamonti in November’s general election.

One of the few partisan primaries in Wisconsin, statewide or otherwise, to feature contests in more than one party was in Assembly District 96, which covers parts or all of Crawford, Monroe and Vernon counties. On the Democratic side, Jayne Swiggum won 58% of the vote over Mark Fritsche (42%) and will face Republican Loren Oldenburg, who scored a resounding victory with 80% of the vote over Holly Ottesen Liska (20%).

In far northwestern Wisconsin, a trio of Republican primaries took place in Assembly districts. James Edming (63%) defeated Michael Bub (37%) in Assembly District 87, which covers parts or all of Marathon, Rusk, Sawyer and Taylor counties. In Assembly District 73, which covers parts or all of Burnett, Douglas and Washburn counties, Angie Sapik (58%) downed Scott Luostari (42%), and in Assembly District 74, which covers parts or all of Ashland, Bayfield, Douglas, Iron, Price and Sawyer counties, Chanz Green (67%) took down John Schey (33%).

You can see voting results for western Wisconsin online. You can check county-by-county results on county clerk websites.