Kitchens, Majeski in General Election

“It’s a great night for me; now I’m really pumped to move onto the general election,” Joel Kitchens said on Tuesday, Aug. 12, after the results of the Republican primary election for the 1st District Assembly race were announced.

Kitchens, a large animal veterinarian and president of the Sturgeon Bay School Board, won the four-candidate primary race with 2,352 votes, or 47.64 percent of the total. Dentist Paul Feit was a distant second with 1,330 votes, or 26.98 percent of the total. Terry McNulty was third with 733 votes, or 14.87 percent, and Brian Hackbarth came in last with 528 votes, or 10.71 percent.

“Going through the primary, everybody kept saying, ‘Oh, there are so many of you running. Nobody wants to take you seriously.’ Now I’m the guy for the party and it’s me and Joe Majeski, and I’m just really excited to engage him and go. I’m ready to roll,” Kitchens said.

Asked what he thought set him apart from the field of candidates, Kitchens pointed to his deep roots and community involvement.

“I’ve been in the area a long time,” he said. “I’ve proven my leadership. I think people trust that. They know I can go down there and make a difference and really represent our area. Anybody can go down there and just vote the party platform, but I think I can potentially go down there and be a leader. And help shape the platform, not just somebody who goes along with the party, but actually shapes the direction of our government. I think people saw that. I think I’ve proven my leadership. I’ve been at it a long time in Sturgeon Bay.”

Kitchens received prestigious endorsements from both the Wisconsin Farm Bureau and the Dairy Business Association.

“I have a strong background in agriculture, plus I started my own business,” he said. “I know the area so well. In my business I go from Washington Island to Kewaunee and I deal with rich people, poor people, city, rural, I just feel like I really know our area. I think that’s a big advantage. I can really represent all the different factions. I just feel I have a pretty good background with all the different players.”

Regarding his opponent in the Nov. 4 general election, Kitchens said Joe Majeski had the advantage by not having to face another Democrat in the primary.

“He’s been able to stockpile his money and sit back and play towards the middle and I’ve tried to slug it out,” Kitchens said. “I hope coming out of this it makes me a lot stronger. I think it does. I know a whole lot more than I did a couple months ago.”

Majeski, who retired as principal of Sevastopol Elementary School in 2013, laughed at the notion that he has been relaxing while the Republican candidates slugged it out leading up to the primary.

“I’ve already knocked on close to 4,000 doors, attended numerous meetings. I’ve been getting out to meet the voters, and listening and learning what the issues are,” Majeski said.

“I don’t think things have changed much at all, whether there’s one adversary or four adversaries, it still hinges on the same thing, being a representative and not being a politician,” he said. “You have to continue to reach out to people, you have to listen and you have to learn and be a representative and take their voices to Madison. It doesn’t really make a difference at all in terms of who the opponent is. I’m not running against someone, I’m running for the people of the 1st Assembly District.”

In the Republican primary for Door County sheriff, Steve Delarwelle was the clear winner with 2,352 votes, or 47.64 percent of the total. Jeff Farley was next with 1,078 votes, or 21.84 percent; followed by Carl Waterstreet with 901 votes, or 18.25 percent, and Chris Neuville with 603 votes, or 12.21 percent.

Delarwelle will face Democrat Tammy Sternard on Nov. 4.

In the Door County Clerk of Court race, Connie DeFere won with 2,343 votes, or 52.21 percent, to Laurie Schlaefer’s 2,141 votes, or 47.70 percent.

Outgoing 1^st District Assemblyman Garey Bies was knocked out of the race for the office of Secretary of State, losing to fellow Republican Julian Bradley, who took 65 percent of the vote, with 138,735 votes to Bies’ 75,341 votes.