Election nights are often bittersweet for those who watch the races closely, because for every winner, there is also a loser.
It takes a lot of courage to run for office, which is probably why, in the election that concluded this week, the majority of candidates had done it before. To put your name out there is to court the worst kind of rejection — the one that unambiguously tells you what people think of you. That sentiment is also out there for everyone to see. You can’t hide from it.
“I commend all the candidates, because running is hard,” said D.J. Davis, who on Tuesday overcame a stinging defeat in 2018 to beat back a challenge from three well-qualified opponents to win the GOP nomination for Superior Court 1 judge. “It’s horrible when you lose something like this. I know what it feels like.”
All the candidates who sought office in the 2020 Republican primary were worthy. That can’t be said in every election. Those who triumphed should take pride in knowing they rose through one of the deepest fields of candidates in recent memory.
So, congratulations are in order for the winners in the contested races: Davis; county commissioner nominees John Jessup and Bill Spalding; county council nominees Kent Fisk, Keely Butrum and Robin Lowder; and county coroner nominee David Stillinger. (All will be on the ballot in November and so far face no opposition from Democrats.)
Thanks also should go to those who did not prevail: Marie Castetter, Cody Coombs and Jessica Lacy, who made strong cases as candidates for judge on how to improve the county judiciary; Jeannine Gray, who, like Castetter and Lacy, was trying to crack the mostly male domain of higher elected countywide office in her run for commissioner; Matt Holland, who gave up an important role at the Greenfield Police Department to run for county commissioner; Joe Fortner, who ran for coroner to give voters a choice; and Ray Richardson and Kirk Jocham, two candidates at opposite ends of their political careers, who came up short in their bids for the at-large seats on the county council.
We hope we haven’t heard the last of any of these candidates.
Congratulations also are in order for county Clerk Lisa Lofgreen and her staff, who staved off complication after complication to run a smooth election.
And finally, thanks to you, the voters, who overcame unusual circumstances and turned out in surprisingly large numbers to make your voices heard. Total turnout is still far short of where it needs to be — not even a third of registered voters cast a ballot — but it was inspiring to see people lining up by the hundreds on one of the warmest days of the year so far to vote.
Let’s do it again in November.
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