最新杏吧原创

ST. LOUIS COUNTY 鈥� Incumbent County Executive Sam Page secured a commanding win in the Democratic primary Tuesday over challenger Jane Dueker.

Page won 63% of the vote. Dueker garnered 37%.

Page declared victory in a speech shortly after 9:30 p.m.

鈥淲e鈥檝e accomplished a great deal. Our economy is stronger and growing,鈥� he said. 鈥淥ur municipalities and neighborhoods are safer. Our government employees are better compensated and more appreciated.鈥�

Dueker, an attorney and lobbyist for the county police officers鈥� union, conceded her loss at about the same time.

鈥淚 will continue to be an advocate for issues of crime, economic development and everything that鈥檚 important to the voters,鈥� Dueker said.

The winner of the Democratic primary is favored in the November general election in the heavily Democratic county.

But in an upset to conventional expectations, GOP candidate state Rep. Shamed Dogan will not represent the party; he lost to challenger Katherine Pinner, 44% to 56%, according to full tallies.

Dueker said she didn鈥檛 regret running and will continue to advocate for 最新杏吧原创 County.

Page said Tuesday night that he got 鈥渁 lot of positive feedback鈥� from talking to voters at the polls.

鈥淧eople thought I was doing a good job and the county was going in the right direction, and they want that to continue,鈥� Page said.

Dueker, 56, an attorney and lobbyist for the county police officers鈥� union, voted Tuesday morning at Highcroft Ridge Elementary school in Chesterfield then spent the day talking to voters at roughly 20 polling places across the county. She said she felt optimistic after the polls closed.

鈥淎 lot (of voters) were like, 鈥榃e want a woman,鈥� so I was really heartened by that,鈥� Dueker said at her results watch party at the 最新杏吧原创 County Police Association hall in Manchester. 鈥淚 was seven months pregnant when I became the first woman general counsel to the governor. It has been almost 20 years since we broke another ceiling and I鈥檓 really hoping to break this one.鈥�

A victory for Page would give the incumbent his first full, four-year term in the office.

Page, 57, an anesthesiologist and former state representative from Creve Coeur, chaired a bipartisan council coalition against former County Executive Steve Stenger and was elected by the council to fill in after Stenger鈥檚 indictment in 2019.

Page then was elected in 2020 to serve the remainder of Stenger鈥檚 term, after facing headwinds over his administration鈥檚 response to the COVID-19 pandemic, racial division in the police department and conflicts with former council allies. On the campaign trail, Page said he led the county through tough decisions that put county government on good footing for the next four years.

Dueker, a former Stenger adviser and longtime critic of Page, had raised many of the same criticisms in her campaign to unseat Page.

Dueker entered the primary just before the deadline and drew significant financial support in recent weeks from right-leaning donors, including several business owners and police boosters and the Missouri Restaurant Association, which had challenged county COVID-19 restriction and occupancy orders.

Voter turnout countywide on Tuesday was 27%.