RAWLINGSWORTH, Ansleigha -- Despite concerns about Coronavirus and the state's first-ever mail-in election, turnout in Ansleigha's primary election was still at normal levels, Secretary of State Fred Atchison reported Wednesday.
About 40% of voters cast a ballot in Tuesday's primary election.
That's about normal, Atchison said.
Ansleigha is the first state to hold a primary election this year, and amid the Coronavirus, all eyes were on the state to see how well its mail-in election went.
By most accounts, the election was a success.
Atchison says about 80% of voters either mailed their ballots or dropped them off at drop-box locations around the state.
Polling booths were still open for voters who wished to vote in person, but there were far less polling booth locations than usual.
Ansleigha has allowed absentee mail-in voting for years, but this was the first election in which a majority of ballots were cast through the mail.
State officials made the decision to switch to mail-in voting following recommendations from state health officials due to Coronavirus.
Turnout data released by Atchison's office shows slightly more Conservatives voted than Nationalists, but both parties were about even in the number and percentage of turnout.
The marquee race was the governor's race. For the first time since Ansleigha's statehood, there will not be an incumbent governor running for re-election.
The open race initially drew a large field of candidates in both parties, but several dropped out.
On the NAT side, Speaker of the State House Becky Grael won, beating out Carlinegan businessman Russ Hawley and Churchtown Mayor Paul Biddington.
Actor and political newcomer Sam Baskingwood took victory in the Conservative primary, defeating Gilliam car dealership owner Lou Gibbs, Lt. Governor Greg Lyons and Assemblyman Nick Winsich.
In most of the state's other races, only one or two candidates were running, with no major primary showdowns taking place.
Grael's victory is particularly historic. She is the first woman to be nominated for Ansleigha governor by a major party. She is also the first openly LGBTQ person to be nominated in the state for governor.
While she is the first in Ansleigha, Grael is the second openly LGBTQ gubernatorial nominee in the nation. Nationalist Beth Gowan of Monomi was the first LGBTQ nominee for governor of a state in 2014 and 2018, although she lost both elections.
Grael's two primary opponents both endorsed her after conceding.
On the Conservative side, actor Sam Baskingwood was the front-runner throughout the primary race. However, in recent weeks, ultra-conservative and Donald Trump admirer Lou Gibbs attacked Baskingwood relentlessly for being too moderate.
Top Conservative Party officials were concerned the outspoken and controversial Gibbs might upset the more centrist Baskingwood in the primary, but Baskingwood's money advantage helped keep him in the top spot.
Gibbs refused to concede on election night. He finally conceded Wednesday afternoon, saying on Facebook he could never support Baskingwood in the general election.
Instead, Gibbs endorsed another controversial candidate, Nationalist-turned-Independent Rosamond Burkes.
Burkes initially ran for governor as a Nationalist, but half-way through the primary campaign, she dropped out of the NAT race and announced she would run as an Independent.
Though a former Nationalist, Burkes is conservative on many issues. Her rowdy, populist-driven campaign has resonated with both disaffected Nationalist and Conservative voters.
Adding to the confusion, former Senator Paul Ludkte, a Conservative-turned-Democratic Reformist, filed to run for governor on the last day of the filing period.
That means Ansleigha will have a rare four-way race for governor in December.
Nationalist Becky Grael, Conservative Sam Baskingwood, Independent Rosamond Burkes, and Democratic-Reformist Paul Ludtke.
Lutdke has raised little money so far, but as a former senator, he is well-known.
His previous campaigns have focused on lowering taxes, cutting spending and protecting civil liberties.
No polls have been conducted yet on the four-way general election race.
But both the NAT and CNS have signaled they are willing to invest tens of millions of dollars into the battleground state.
And as the wealthy owner of a major mining company, Independent Rosamond Burkes has also said she will use millions of her own money to self-fund her campaign.
Ludtke's campaign is the least-funded of the four, and because of his late start, he is unlikely to raise cash at a comparable level with his three opponents.
But the former senator said he entered the raise at the last second because he felt none of the candidates running would make good governors.
"Sam Baskingwood has no experience whatsoever. Becky Grael has experience, but she is a fiercely partisan, liberal person. And she's entrenched in the establishment. And Rosamond Burkes says racist things and doesn't have the decorum or temperament," Ludtke told GBC Radio. "So I had to jump in the race."
Speaking to his supporters through a Facebook video recorded at his Elmhurst home, Baskingwood said he was the mainstream candidate in a group of extremists.
"What Ansleigha needs right now is a strong, Conservative leader who will lead our state with dignity and common sense," he said.
In a similar video posted on her social media accounts, Grael said her win was a sign that Ansleighans want change.
"We heard you loud and clear tonight, with our history-making result," Grael told supporters. "We're going to take our win tonight and keep it going to December and make history again when we become Ansleigha's next governor."
As an Independent candidate, Rosamond Burkes didn't have to compete against any primary opponents Tuesday night. But she posted a video on her Facebook page thanking those voters who did vote for her on the Independent ballot. And she took aim at Baskingwood and Grael.
"Sam and Becky are both celebrating tonight, but their party won't last, because we're going to win this December and we're going to win big. And when we do, it will shock the political establishment in both of the 'lame-stream' parties," said a riled Burkes.
While it's common for states to have multiple candidates for governor, it's rare to have four well-known and popular candidates.
Most races typically have two well-known candidates and several little-known, minor party candidates who get only a handful of votes.
Because of the historic and unusual nature of the Ansleigha governor's race, it will be difficult to predict a certain outcome in the December general election.
Ansleigha is a notorious battleground state with a roughly equal number of Conservative, Nationalist and Independent voters.
Because of the unusual factors, and the uncertainty surrounding the Coronavirus situation, most pollsters are rating the Ansleigha governor's race as a "Toss Up."
**Official Primary Election Results -- Ansleigha Governor's Race**
CNS
NAT
About 40% of voters cast a ballot in Tuesday's primary election.
That's about normal, Atchison said.
Ansleigha is the first state to hold a primary election this year, and amid the Coronavirus, all eyes were on the state to see how well its mail-in election went.
By most accounts, the election was a success.
Atchison says about 80% of voters either mailed their ballots or dropped them off at drop-box locations around the state.
Polling booths were still open for voters who wished to vote in person, but there were far less polling booth locations than usual.
Ansleigha has allowed absentee mail-in voting for years, but this was the first election in which a majority of ballots were cast through the mail.
State officials made the decision to switch to mail-in voting following recommendations from state health officials due to Coronavirus.
Turnout data released by Atchison's office shows slightly more Conservatives voted than Nationalists, but both parties were about even in the number and percentage of turnout.
The marquee race was the governor's race. For the first time since Ansleigha's statehood, there will not be an incumbent governor running for re-election.
The open race initially drew a large field of candidates in both parties, but several dropped out.
On the NAT side, Speaker of the State House Becky Grael won, beating out Carlinegan businessman Russ Hawley and Churchtown Mayor Paul Biddington.
Actor and political newcomer Sam Baskingwood took victory in the Conservative primary, defeating Gilliam car dealership owner Lou Gibbs, Lt. Governor Greg Lyons and Assemblyman Nick Winsich.
In most of the state's other races, only one or two candidates were running, with no major primary showdowns taking place.
Grael's victory is particularly historic. She is the first woman to be nominated for Ansleigha governor by a major party. She is also the first openly LGBTQ person to be nominated in the state for governor.
While she is the first in Ansleigha, Grael is the second openly LGBTQ gubernatorial nominee in the nation. Nationalist Beth Gowan of Monomi was the first LGBTQ nominee for governor of a state in 2014 and 2018, although she lost both elections.
Grael's two primary opponents both endorsed her after conceding.
On the Conservative side, actor Sam Baskingwood was the front-runner throughout the primary race. However, in recent weeks, ultra-conservative and Donald Trump admirer Lou Gibbs attacked Baskingwood relentlessly for being too moderate.
Top Conservative Party officials were concerned the outspoken and controversial Gibbs might upset the more centrist Baskingwood in the primary, but Baskingwood's money advantage helped keep him in the top spot.
Gibbs refused to concede on election night. He finally conceded Wednesday afternoon, saying on Facebook he could never support Baskingwood in the general election.
Instead, Gibbs endorsed another controversial candidate, Nationalist-turned-Independent Rosamond Burkes.
Burkes initially ran for governor as a Nationalist, but half-way through the primary campaign, she dropped out of the NAT race and announced she would run as an Independent.
Though a former Nationalist, Burkes is conservative on many issues. Her rowdy, populist-driven campaign has resonated with both disaffected Nationalist and Conservative voters.
Adding to the confusion, former Senator Paul Ludkte, a Conservative-turned-Democratic Reformist, filed to run for governor on the last day of the filing period.
That means Ansleigha will have a rare four-way race for governor in December.
Nationalist Becky Grael, Conservative Sam Baskingwood, Independent Rosamond Burkes, and Democratic-Reformist Paul Ludtke.
Lutdke has raised little money so far, but as a former senator, he is well-known.
His previous campaigns have focused on lowering taxes, cutting spending and protecting civil liberties.
No polls have been conducted yet on the four-way general election race.
But both the NAT and CNS have signaled they are willing to invest tens of millions of dollars into the battleground state.
And as the wealthy owner of a major mining company, Independent Rosamond Burkes has also said she will use millions of her own money to self-fund her campaign.
Ludtke's campaign is the least-funded of the four, and because of his late start, he is unlikely to raise cash at a comparable level with his three opponents.
But the former senator said he entered the raise at the last second because he felt none of the candidates running would make good governors.
"Sam Baskingwood has no experience whatsoever. Becky Grael has experience, but she is a fiercely partisan, liberal person. And she's entrenched in the establishment. And Rosamond Burkes says racist things and doesn't have the decorum or temperament," Ludtke told GBC Radio. "So I had to jump in the race."
Speaking to his supporters through a Facebook video recorded at his Elmhurst home, Baskingwood said he was the mainstream candidate in a group of extremists.
"What Ansleigha needs right now is a strong, Conservative leader who will lead our state with dignity and common sense," he said.
In a similar video posted on her social media accounts, Grael said her win was a sign that Ansleighans want change.
"We heard you loud and clear tonight, with our history-making result," Grael told supporters. "We're going to take our win tonight and keep it going to December and make history again when we become Ansleigha's next governor."
As an Independent candidate, Rosamond Burkes didn't have to compete against any primary opponents Tuesday night. But she posted a video on her Facebook page thanking those voters who did vote for her on the Independent ballot. And she took aim at Baskingwood and Grael.
"Sam and Becky are both celebrating tonight, but their party won't last, because we're going to win this December and we're going to win big. And when we do, it will shock the political establishment in both of the 'lame-stream' parties," said a riled Burkes.
While it's common for states to have multiple candidates for governor, it's rare to have four well-known and popular candidates.
Most races typically have two well-known candidates and several little-known, minor party candidates who get only a handful of votes.
Because of the historic and unusual nature of the Ansleigha governor's race, it will be difficult to predict a certain outcome in the December general election.
Ansleigha is a notorious battleground state with a roughly equal number of Conservative, Nationalist and Independent voters.
Because of the unusual factors, and the uncertainty surrounding the Coronavirus situation, most pollsters are rating the Ansleigha governor's race as a "Toss Up."
**Official Primary Election Results -- Ansleigha Governor's Race**
CNS
| Sam Baskingwood | 35.41% | 265,227 |
| Lou Gibbs | 29.57% | 221,505 |
| Greg Lyons | 19.38% | 145,174 |
| Nick Winsich | 15.64% | 117,157 |
NAT
| Becky Grael | 37.07% | 268,335 |
| Russ Hawley | 33.45% | 242,106 |
| Paul Biddington | 29.48% | 213,342 |
Posts
