Roys edges out Sargent for Assembly seat

Steven Elbow  —  9/10/2008 11:20 am

Both Kelda Helen Roys and Justin Sargent will be heading to the state Legislature. But Sargent will be taking back his job as a legislative aide, while Roys will be representing the 81st Assembly District.

The two were the front-runners in a six-way Democratic primary in which no Republican ran, so Roys will not have to face an opponent in the general election in November.

Roys edged out Sargent by 277 votes in a race that saw 6,298 votes cast.

She said her first order of business will be to campaign for other Democrats, who hope to win control of the Assembly for the first time in 14 years.

"I think the first thing will be to help elect a Democratic majority," she said at an election-night gathering at Benvenuto's Italian Grill on Madison's north side.

Roys and Sargent were viewed by many as the two top contenders in the crowded field, both running well-organized campaigns with dedicated staffers, and both tirelessly canvassing neighborhoods to target possible voters.

"We outperformed what we thought we needed," Sargent said. "She was aggressive."

Roys, 29, the only woman in the primary, also beat out former lobbyist Eric Englund, Assistant Dane County District Attorney Tim Kiefer, Waunakee Village President John Laubmeier, and restaurant owner Peng Her.

The unofficial tally, according to the Dane County Clerk Web site, was:

Roys -- 1,960

Sargent -- 1,683

Laubmeier -- 1,001

Englund -- 904

Kiefer -- 410

Her -- 337

Three write-in votes were cast.

Roys, who for four years served as executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin, will succeed Dave Travis, a Democrat who chose not to run after representing the district for 30 years. The district spans north Madison, the village of Waunakee, and the towns of Black Earth, Berry, Springfield, Cross Plains and Burke.

Sargent, who took a leave of absence as chief of staff for state Sen. Judy Robson, intends to resume that position, he said.

"Sometimes the deck is just stacked the wrong way for you," he told supporters gathered at Rex's Innkeeper in Waunakee just before 9 p.m. when reports from precinct watchers showed that Roys held an insurmountable lead.

As expected, Laubmeier held a commanding lead in precincts in Waunakee, but saw little support elsewhere. Sargent and Roys dominated the Madison vote, the lion's share of votes cast.

During the race, Roys highlighted her work on the Compassionate Care for Rape Victims Act, which surprisingly passed a Republican-led Assembly last session, as evidence that she can rise above the partisan bickering that plagued the Legislature in recent years.

The 81st District primary was one of eight where the winners will not face opposition in the Nov. 4 general election, in which Republicans are trying to hold on to a 51-47 majority.

With Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle in office, if Democrats take the Assembly and retain control of the Senate, the party can control the state legislative agenda for at least the next two years.

Other winning candidates in south central Wisconsin primaries for the Wisconsin Assembly:

John Waelti of Monroe won the Democratic primary for the 80th Assembly District over Kristin Wisnefske, 1,354 votes to 1,147 votes, and will challenge incumbent Rep. Brett Davis, R-Oregon.

The 80th district includes the towns of Perry, Primrose, Montrose and Oregon and the villages of Belleville and part of Oregon in the southwest corner of Dane County, Green County and parts of Lafayette and Rock Counties.

Kathy Maves of Oregon won the Republican primary in the 46th Assembly District over Spencer Zimmerman, 405-312, to challenge incumbent Rep. Gary Hebl, D-Sun Prairie.

The 46th district includes the towns of Rutland, Dunkirk, Pleasant Springs, Cottage Grove and Sun Prairie, part of the town of Dunn, the cities of Sun Prairie and Stoughton and the villages of Oregon and Cottage Grove.

In the 37th Assembly District Republican primary, Kent Koebke of Fort Atkinson won a three-way race over Tom Luetzow of Watertown and Brian Peters of Watertown, with Koebke garnering 1,229 votes to 941 for Luetzow and 507 for Peters. Koebke will face incumbent Rep. Andy Jorgensen, D-Fort Atkinson.

The 37th district includes the towns of Deerfield, Christiana and Albion and the villages of Deerfield and Cambridge in Dane County and parts of Jefferson and Dodge counties.

Steven Elbow  —  9/10/2008 11:20 am