Primary results: Harrington, Carlson to square off for Rochester council at-large seat

Rochester’s voters narrowed the field for five local races on Tuesday, casting over 17,000 votes in the city council president primary alone. With some mail-in ballots still left to be counted, final results are not yet set in stone, but a few conclusions can be made on which candidates will appear on the ballot November 3.

Kathleen Harrington and Brooke Carlson will move on to the general election in the race for the at-large president seat. Harrington currently holds the overall lead with 7,342 votes — good for 42.6 percent of the vote. Carlson has garnered 6,053 votes, or 35.1 percent of the vote. Vangie Castro finished third with 3,848 votes (22.3 percent) and  is not expected to move.

Michael Wojcik and Mark Bransford will face off in the general election for Ward 2. Wojcik currently leads the tally with 1,658 votes (43.8 percent), but Bransford sits less than 200 votes behind the incumbent (1,462 votes - 38.6%). Denise Welte is not expected to advance, currently sitting on 669 votes (17.7 percent).

In Wards 4 and 6, final conclusions on the ballot for November will have to wait until all mail-in ballots are counted.

Kelly Rae Kirkpatrick will move on to the general election for the Ward 4 seat, breezing to first place with more than double the votes of any other candidate (856 votes — 49.3 percent). Currently, Katrina Pulham looks to be in position to advance with 395 votes (22.8 percent), but PJ Calkins, currently at 331 votes (64 behind Pulham — 19.1 percent), could be within striking distance after all mail-in ballots are counted. Abel Brito will not move on to the general election, garnering 153 votes (8.8 percent).

In the crowded race for Ward 6, it appears that Molly Dennis will move on to the general election as the top vote-getter. She currently has 881 votes, good for 32.5 percent of the total. Craig Ugland sits in second place with 663 votes (24.4 percent), but Donavan Bailey is close behind with 588 votes (21.7 percent). Todd Pisarski, Thomas Rigby, and David Diercks are all expected to bow out, with none earning over 10 percent of the vote.

In Olmsted County’s District 5 Commissioner race, incumbent Jim Bier will move on with ease. He received 1,398 votes, good for 45.1 percent of the vote and the overall lead. Regina Mustafa holds a small lead over Brian Morgan with just mail-in ballots left to count — Mustafa has 885 votes (28.5 percent), Morgan has 818 (26.4 percent).

For a mail-in ballot to be counted, it must be postmarked by Election Day and arrive at the Olmsted County election office by 5 p.m. Thursday.

Isaac Jahns is a Rochester native and a 2019 graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism. He reports on politics, business and music for Med City Beat.