Sassmann takes Republican ballot in 62nd race

Drewel re-elected to Eastern District Commissioner

By Laura Schiermeier and Roxie Murphy, Staff Writers
Posted 8/5/20

Maries County had a 37 percent voter turnout at the Aug. 4 primaries on Tuesday.

Results of the primary included Bruce Sassmann taking the Republican primary and Nancy J. Ragan the Democratic …

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Sassmann takes Republican ballot in 62nd race

Drewel re-elected to Eastern District Commissioner

Posted

Maries County had a 37 percent voter turnout at the Aug. 4 primaries on Tuesday.

Results of the primary included Bruce Sassmann taking the Republican primary and Nancy J. Ragan the Democratic primary for the 62nd State Representative race; Doug Drewel won another term as Maries County Commissioner; and Chris Heitman took the Republican ballot and Buddy Thompson took the Democratic ballot for the November Maries County Sheriff’s race.

Drewel was re-elected as the Eastern District Commissioner, defeating his second-time challenger Mike Moreland by 138 votes. He totaled 531 votes or 53.21 percent to Moreland’s 393 votes or 39.38 percent. Drewel won the absentee balloting (41 to 14) and the Belle Precinct (370 to 162). Moreland won the other east side precincts of Hodgeville ( 51 to 24), Safe (78 to 41), and Vichy (88 to 55).

Western District Commissioner Ed Fagre was unchallenged on the Democratic ballot. He received 198 votes from the west side or 84.98 percent.

In the Republican Primary for State Representative 62nd District, Sassmann of Bland won Maries County with 755 votes (40.44 percent), followed by Tom Reed of Owensville with 615 votes (32.94 percent), and Chris Beyer of Linn with 428 votes (22.92 percent).

Sassmann lost Gasconade County with 702 votes. He was a close second to Reed who had 1041 and Beyer came in third with 477 votes.

The unofficial totals are Sassmann, 3,159; Reed 2,707; and Beyer 1,920.

Nancy J. Ragan of Vienna was the only candidate on the Democratic ballot for State Representative 62nd District and she garnered 332 votes or 85.13 percent.

Incumbent Maries County Sheriff Chris Heitman of Vienna ran unopposed on the Republican ballot and received 1,559 votes or 83.50 percent. His challenger in November’s General Election, Democrat Buddy Thompson of Vienna received 331 votes or 84.87 percent.

Maries County voters did not favor Amendment 2, Medicaid expansion, as 581 said Yes and 1,655 voted No.

Maries County Clerk Rhonda Rodgers said she was pleased with the day and the 37.15 percent voter turnout in the county. Of the county’s 6,121 registered voters, 2,274 made the trip to the polls or voted absentee. About 161 voters voted absentee.

Poll workers, as they came into the courthouse, were happy to have the long day behind them but were generally in good spirits as they spent the day doing a civic duty helping Maries County citizens practice their constitutional right to vote.

Judges at the polls noticed a number of ill and mobility-impaired residents who got out to vote on Tuesday.

“To me, it is amazing the people who are in ill health who came in here today,” said Jane Leimkuehler, a poll judge in Bland.

Leimkuehler has been a poll judge for about four years.

Jean Baker, a second poll judge in Bland, said that their turnout for the day was huge compared to most elections.

“We are at 302,” Baker said at 3:15 p.m.

State Representative 62nd District Candidat Chris Beyer had two supporters campaigning outside of the Bland precinct.

“They have been well-behaved,” Leimkuehler said. “They passed out cards and stayed 25 feet back. They measured it. If people left those cards on the counter, we threw them away.”

In Belle at the Osage County precinct, polling judges said they were up to about 201 ballots with four people in line at 3:30 p.m., and they were expecting a good turnout in the afternoon.

Rocky Horstman was present and submitting his ballot.

“I voted for state representative, Amendment 2 and the Osage District Commissioner,” Horstman said.

For others like Stevie Sipes, they showed up to vote like any other election.

“I guess for me, the marshal brought me out,” Sipes said. “I don’t bash people who don’t vote, but it is important to vote.”

In the Maries County Belle precinct, polling judges posted their cell phone numbers outside the building for those with mobility or health issues to call and a polling judge would come to them.

Jane Kottwitz picked up the phone for Trislynn Webster’s call and took paperwork outside with a second judge to witness that the job was done correctly.

“It is really important to vote,” Webster said while she waited on a confirmation from Kottwitz that her ballot had been cast. “If everyone doesn’t vote, there is no point in all of us voting.”

Webster’s was the 496 ballot cast.

These are unofficial election results as of late Tuesday night.