Yogesh Chawla, at left, will take on Pam Porter in the April 3 general election.
Pam Porter and Yogesh Chawla dominated in Tuesday’s four-way primary to replace retiring Supv. John Hendrick on the Dane County Board. Porter eked out 154 more votes than Chawla in the east-side isthmus district. Both candidates will advance to the spring general election on April 3.
Contenders Heather Driscoll and Britt Cudaback finished in third and fourth place, respectively.
Porter celebrated with a “quiet party” on election night and credits her victory to 30 years of being active in the community. Out of the gate, she nabbed some big endorsements, including U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Town of Vernon), Dane County Executive Joe Parisi and former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk. Porter is a former aide of Falk’s.
“I’m going to keep working hard to earn the support of my neighbors in April,” Porter tells Isthmus. “I’m going to keep talking about protecting our lakes and protecting social services for people in need.”
Chawla gathered with supporters at the Harmony Bar on Atwood Avenue to watch the returns. At the party, he railed against the current board approving tens of millions in this year’s budget to remodel the Dane County Jail. He also cast himself as the underdog in the race.
“Obviously, we were outspent. Obviously, there were bigger names out there,” Chawla told supporters. “All your names that were on our endorsement pieces … you guys are what make this neighborhood special. Nobody’s name is higher than anybody else’s.”
According to campaign finance reports, Porter has the biggest war chest of any board candidate this year. She’s raised more than $16,000, nearly twice Chawla’s haul. Porter has $8,627 in the bank; Chawla has $3,496.
The unofficial vote tally has Porter with 40.7 percent, Chawla with 37.4 percent, Driscoll with 12.3 percent and Cudaback with 9.4 percent.
On the west side, veteran Supv. Al Matano is the lone incumbent on the 37-member board to be challenged in 2018. He won the three-way primary with 48.4 percent of the vote and will face newcomer Kelly Danner in April. She came in second with 39 percent, followed by Nancy Bogue with 11.8 percent.
Matano, who has represented the district since 2000, did not return a call for comment.
Danner tells Isthmus she’s pleased with the results of her first election.
“I knew facing an 18-year incumbent was going to be tough. That’s why I started early and have knocked on thousands of doors,” Danner says. “I think there was a lack of engagement in the district and people were ready for someone that would listen.”
Danner launched her campaign unusually early, in August. She’s raised nearly $14,000, while Matano has just over $7,500. Danner heads into the general with $3,000 more than Matano.
There was also a primary race in the Town of Middleton district (which includes a small slice of Madison) to succeed retiring Supv. Ronn Ferrell.
Steven Peters crushed it with 61.4 percent of the vote. He’ll advance alongside Brent Renteria, who had 25.4 percent. Joseph Ryan dropped out shortly after filing his candidacy, but his name still appeared on the ballot.
Peters has raised around $6,000 with plenty left to spend before April 3. However, Renteria’s vote-per-dollar ratio is impressive. He’s raised $700 and hasn’t spent a dime.
