OSMOND — Pierce County voters delivered decisive victories Tuesday night in several high-profile races, while also narrowly approving a major bond issue for the Pierce Public Schools district.
With five of six precincts reporting by 11 p.m., unofficial results showed strong support across the county for Republican candidates at both the state and local levels.
On the Republican ticket, Pete Ricketts cruised to victory in the U.S. Senate race in Pierce County with 1,723 votes. Todd Knobel received 96 votes, while Debb Axtell Schultz added 92.
In the race for Nebraska’s Third Congressional District, incumbent Adrian Smith easily carried Pierce County with 1,391 votes, compared to 489 for David Huebner.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Jim Pillen also posted a commanding local showing with 1,550 votes. John Walz received 148 votes and Sheila Korth-Focken added 136.
One of the closest statewide races locally came in the Secretary of State contest, where Scott Petersen outpolled incumbent Bob Evnen by a 1,110-577 margin in Pierce County.
For Pierce County voters, some of the biggest interest centered on local races.
In the Pierce County Sheriff’s race, Daniel G. Hallock secured a convincing victory with 1,291 votes. Rick J. Eberhardt received 609 votes, while Josh Bauermeister finished with 159.
The Pierce County Commissioner District 2 race featured a crowded field. Michael Mayfield led the way with 238 votes, followed by Dave Lienemann with 154, Brad Albers with 149 and Loren Gerdes with 56.
In the District 3 commissioner race, Carl Martinson defeated Brandon Wagner by a 420-252 margin.
State legislative candidate Barry DeKay ran unopposed for Legislative District 40 and received 824 votes in Pierce County.
Voters also weighed in on education-related races and ballot issues. Sherry Jones received 1,114 votes in the State Board of Education race, while Grady Erickson collected 667 votes.
One of the night’s tightest decisions came in the Pierce Public Schools bond election. The proposal passed narrowly with 668 votes in favor and 625 opposed.
Meanwhile, voters in the Plainview Public Schools district overwhelmingly rejected both school bond proposals. Proposition 1 failed by a 488-192 margin, while Proposition 2 was defeated 499-176.
Municipal races also drew attention across Pierce County.
In Pierce, Tom Meyer won the mayoral race with 362 votes. Tom Gubbels received 128 votes and Roy Mittelstaedt added 46.
In Plainview, Bob Smith was elected mayor with 290 votes. Brian Schlote finished with 87 votes and Larry Lockman received 51.
On the Democratic side, Cindy Burbank led the U.S. Senate race in Pierce County with 104 votes, compared to 37 for William Forbes. Becky Kelly Stille received 133 votes in the Third District congressional race, while Lynne Walz received 111 votes in the governor’s race.
There were no votes cast locally on either the Libertarian or Legalize Marijuana Now tickets.
