(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
KENOSHA, Wis. — Kenosha County Sheriff David Zoerner won a closely watched three-way Republican primary Tuesday night, defeating Captains Tony Gonzalez and James Beller and securing the Republican nomination for another term as sheriff.
Zoerner won the race fair and square, receiving more votes than either of his challengers. But the results came with an interesting distinction: the incumbent sheriff failed to capture a majority of the Republican vote.
Zoerner received 7,045 votes, or 49.77%, according to unofficial election results. Gonzalez finished second with 4,409 votes, or 31.15%, while Beller received 2,692 votes, or 19.02%. Eight write-in votes accounted for the remainder.
Combined, Gonzalez and Beller received 7,101 votes — 56 more than Zoerner. In other words, slightly more than half of the Republican voters who cast a ballot in the sheriff’s race chose one of Zoerner’s two challengers.
Wisconsin does not require a candidate in this type of partisan primary to receive a majority of the vote. The candidate receiving the most votes wins, meaning Zoerner’s 49.77% was enough to secure the Republican nomination.
In many states and jurisdictions that use majority-runoff elections, however, a candidate receiving less than 50% would advance to a runoff against the second-place finisher. Under such a system, Tuesday’s results would have produced a one-on-one contest.
Throughout the campaign, however, the three-way nature of the contest raised questions about whether two challengers competing for voters seeking a change could split that vote.
Tuesday’s results showed just how close that divide ultimately was.
The race was among the most closely watched local contests of Tuesday’s primary and marked a dramatic change from the position Zoerner occupied four years ago.
In 2022, Zoerner was seeking an open seat. Then a sergeant with the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department, Zoerner won the Republican primary before cruising to victory in the November general election. He took the oath of office as Kenosha County Sheriff in January 2023.
Four years later, Zoerner entered the primary as the incumbent and faced challenges from two experienced law enforcement officers.
Despite falling just short of a majority, Zoerner emerged with the most votes and will move forward as the Republican nominee.
Following his victory Tuesday night, Zoerner provided KCE with a statement thanking voters as well as his two opponents.
“I’m incredibly grateful to the voters of Kenosha County for placing their trust in me once again. I also want to thank Captains Gonzalez and Beller for stepping forward and putting themselves before the voters. Running for public office takes a tremendous commitment, and both have dedicated their careers to serving and protecting our community.
“Now that the primary is behind us, I look forward to bringing people together and continuing the work of keeping Kenosha County a safe place to live, work, and raise a family. I’m honored by tonight’s support and ready to keep earning the trust of the people we serve.”
Beller addressed a gathering of close to 80 supporters Tuesday night and conceded the race.
“It looks like most of the ballots are in and we’re coming up short of a victory tonight.
“Here’s the deal, none of this would have happened without you.
“You showed up and voted.
You showed up and knocked on doors.
You showed up and supported us from the beginning.
From every conversation, story, and interaction, this has been such a rewarding experience.
“Thank you for believing in Michelle and I. Thank you for believing in our vision for a safer Kenosha County.
“Just a few minutes ago I called Sheriff Zoerner and wished him the best. It was a hard fought campaign and at the end of the day, the voters have spoken.
“Godspeed everyone. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
Gonzalez did not respond to KCE’s request for comment Tuesday night. He did, however, publish a statement on Facebook thanking those who supported his campaign.
“I’d like to thank everyone who poured their hearts into this campaign.
“While the results aren’t what we hoped for, I couldn’t be prouder of what we built together. We ran a clean, honest race from start to finish, and we did it the right way.
“To my incredible team, volunteers, colleagues, and supporters, keep your heads held high! I am deeply grateful to have stood side-by-side with you.”
Although the Republican primary is over, Zoerner may still have an opponent in November.
Gary Roberts, the City of Kenosha’s Director of Inspections and a former police officer from decades ago, initially described himself as an independent candidate for sheriff. Roberts failed to collect the 500 valid signatures necessary to secure a place on the November ballot as an independent candidate.
Roberts subsequently changed course and mounted a write-in campaign for the Democratic nomination in Tuesday’s partisan primary.
No candidate’s name appeared on the Democratic sheriff ballot. Instead, unofficial results show 2,242 write-in votes cast in the Democratic sheriff contest. If the canvass confirms Roberts received enough of those write-in votes to qualify for the Democratic nomination, he would appear on the November ballot against Zoerner.
That would give voters another opportunity to weigh in on the sheriff’s race after a Republican primary in which the incumbent prevailed, but did so without winning a majority.
Tuesday night’s numbers provide an unusual ending to the three-way Republican contest. Zoerner won the primary and earned the Republican nomination, but Gonzalez and Beller together received slightly more votes than the incumbent.
That does not mean either challenger necessarily would have defeated Zoerner in a two-person race. Voters are not interchangeable, and there is no way to determine where Beller’s supporters would have gone if faced with only Zoerner and Gonzalez.
But the less-than-50% result illustrates how closely divided Republican voters were in one of Kenosha County’s most closely watched races.
Under Wisconsin’s election system, there will be no Republican runoff. Zoerner won the plurality and, with it, the Republican nomination.
Now, barring an unexpected outcome in the canvass of Democratic write-in votes, Zoerner’s next contest will come in November against Roberts.
