Madison Ald. Samba Baldeh and restaurant owner Francesca Hong won the Dem nominations Tuesday for two open Assembly seats, making them the heavy favorites to join the chamber after the November election.
Meanwhile, Dem Reps. Lisa Subeck, of Madison, and Sondy Pope, of Mt. Horeb, easily beat back primary challenges.
In the 48th AD that Rep. Melissa Sargent, D-Madison, left to run for the state Senate, Baldeh won a four-way primary with nearly 50 percent of the vote.
With all precincts reporting, fellow Madison Ald. Lindsay Lemmer was at 35.3 percent, while attorney Walter Stewart was at 10.7 percent and businessman Jason Vangalis 4.5 percent, according to returns posted to the Dane County clerk’s website.
Baldeh, a Gambian immigrant, in an earlier interview with WisPolitics.com said he ran for the seat to advocate for expanding healthcare access to minority groups and underserved communities.
He now faces Republican Samuel Anderson in November for the heavily Dem seat.
In downtown Madison’s 76th AD, Hong won the seven-way open primary with less than 30 percent of the vote.
With all precincts reporting, Hong garnered 28.2 percent of all votes cast, while her nearest opponent — Madison Police officer Tyrone Cratic Williams — took 22.4 percent of the ballots.
Other Dems included: seven-term Madison Ald. Marsha Rummel with 16.4 percent; environmental advocate Heather Driscoll with 16.3 percent; Madison School Board member Nicki Vander Muelen with 9.3 percent; mental health advocate Ali Maresh with 6.8 percent and businessman Dewey Bredeson with less than 1 percent.
Hong now faces Republican Patrick Hull for the heavily Dem seat left vacant by Rep. Chris Taylor. The Madison Dem first announced she wouldn’t seek reelection this fall and then was appointed to a spot on the Dane County Circuit Court.
Subeck routed retired metalworker Rob Slamka with 91.4 percent of the vote.
Meanwhile, Pope, who first won her Assembly seat in 2002, won 67.4 percent against Kimberly Smith, of Oregon.
Subeck, first elected in 2014, doesn’t have a Republican opponent in November, while Pope faces Republican Chase Binnie for her heavily Dem seat.
