NEW LONDON – Voters in all five districts chose Barack Obama for president over John McCain on Tuesday, Nov 4. in New London.  Eighty seven percent of voters turned out to the polls.

Obama carried 1,941 votes over McCain’s 1,251. 

New London voters also chose Democrats in the congressional and assembly races.  Incumbent 8th District Congressman Steve Kagen carried 1,941 votes over John Gard’s 1,265.

In the 40th District Assembly race Democratic challenger Kevin Kuehl collected 1,596 votes while incumbent Republican Kevin Petersen collected 1,447.

City residents also supported a $300,000 recurring technology referendum for New London schools by a margin of 1,603 votes to 1,477.

 All total in the School District of New London, which includes voters in 13 townships and the city, the technology referendum passed 3,749 votes to 3,675.

Area reports

Hortonia Town Clerk Faye Marks commented that numbers were up from the last election and that they had been steady all day, with 20 voters waiting at the door when they arrived there at 6:45 a.m.  Hortonia voters chose John McCain over Barack Obama with a vote of 343-280.  In the neighboring town of Caledonia voters also went with John McCain over Obama by a vote of 519-397.

Hortonville Clerk Treasurer Lynn  Mischker reports absentee votes doubled from 2004. A total of 1,443 votes were cast this year.  Barack Obama won by 12 votes over John McCain, 708 to 696. 

In Mukwa, Barack Obama carried the vote with 855 votes over John McCain who had 676. Mukwa voters also supported the technology referendum 741 to 680.  Municipal Clerk Jeannette Zielinski reported that absentee ballots nearly doubled in Mukwa from the last presidential election. She also said that over 50 people were waiting at both Mukwa locations when polls opened Tuesday morning. 

Obama elected

Democrats win in Waupaca County

By Robert Cloud

For the Press Star

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., was elected president Tuesday, and Democrats increased their majorities in the U.S. Congress and the Wisconsin Legislature.

U.S. Rep. Steve Kagen, D-Appleton, retained his 8th Congressional District seat with 54 percent of the vote.

State Rep. Kevin Petersen, R-Dayton, was re-elected to a second term with 58 percent of the vote.

Petersen will return to a state Assembly no longer controlled by the Republicans. Democrats won a majority of the Assembly seats for the first time since 1986. After the 2004 election, the GOP in the Assembly had grown to 60 seats, but dropped to 51 after the 2006 election.

Preliminary election returns as of Wednesday morning indicate that Democrats control the state Assembly 52-46 with one independent.

With the votes still too close to call early Wednesday morning in four states – Indiana, Missouri, North Carolina and Montana – Obama had a decisive lead over McCain. He won 52.3 percent of the popular vote and 338 electoral votes. It takes 270 electoral votes to win the presidential election.

In Wisconsin, Obama won 55.8 percent of the vote and took the state’s 10 electoral votes.

In traditionally Republican Waupaca County, Obama defeated McCain 12,952 votes to 12,131 according to preliminary tallies from the county clerk’s office.

Kagen defeated his Republican challenger, John Gard, in Waupaca County. He received 12,848 votes to Gard’s 12,099. In 2006, Gard won Waupaca County by about 200 votes.

Petersen won most wards in Waupaca County, defeating his Democratic challenger, Kevin Kuehl, 13,332 votes to 9,408.

Obama performed best in Waupaca County’s cities.

In Clintonville, Obama defeated McCain 1,067 to 878. Petersen, however, garnered 1,007 votes to Kuehl’s 839.

Waupaca County wards in the city of New London gave Kuehl some of his only winning margins Tuesday. Kuehl received 1,270 votes, while Petersen received 1,151. Obama carried New London’s 10 Waupaca County Wards by 1,551 to 991.

In the southwest corner of Waupaca County, Obama won in the city of Waupaca by a vote of 1,470 to 1,076. McCain won in the towns of Farmington on a vote of 1,026 to 992 and Dayton, 829 to 720.

Petersen carried the city of Waupaca by a vote of 1,392 to 1,096, as well as Farmington at 1,261 to 733 and Dayton at 1,029 to 479.

In the city of Weyauwega, Obama won 402 to 309 and Petersen won 379 to 292. In rural Weyauwega, McCain won 170 to 110 and Petersen won 190 to 86.

McCain won 247 to 162 in the village of Fremont and he won 200 to 160 in the town of Fremont.

Fremont is in the 41st Assembly District, where Rep. Joan Ballweg, the Republican incumbent, won with 63 percent of the vote district wide. In the village of Fremont, she defeated Scott Milheiser by a vote of 244 to 147 and won rural Fremont 187 to 155.

In addition to Petersen, Republicans were re-elected to several county offices Tuesday. They were all in unchallenged seats. Re-elected were County Clerk Mary Robbins, District Attorney John Snider, County Treasurer Clyde Tellock and Register of Deeds Michael Mazemke.

Obama also carried the village of Iola by 357 votes to 281. Petersen received 343 votes from village citizens, while Kuehl pulled 261 votes.

In the town of Iola, Obama garnered 277 votes to McCain’s 256 votes. Petersen won 306 to 216.

In the village of Scandinavia, Obama won 117 to 80, while Petersen drew 116 to Kuehl’s 79.

In rural Scandinavia, Obama received 321 votes and McCain received 280. Petersen beat Kuehl here 337 to 247 votes.

In the city of Manawa, Obama and McCain tied at 249 votes each. Petersen got 292 votes and Kuehl received 196.

In the town of Little Wolf, McCain won 395 votes to Obama’s 294. Petersen won with 432 votes to 218 for Kuehl.