SOUTH BEND — St. Joseph County Council member Amy Drake beat first time candidate and firefighter Matthew Clayton in the Republican race for County Council District B in unofficial primary election results.
“I just won, which I’m really happy,” Drake said. “It was a tough race. There was a lot of dark money thrown into the candidate that ran against me.”
According to the unofficial results, Drake won by 193 votes, 884 for her to Clayton’s 691.
After being asked what she thinks her win means for the Republican party, Drake said, “I think it means good things for the Republican party.
“There has been a lot of internal strife with the Republicans,” Drake said. “There were some primary opponents put against some of us in the party and I think this kind of shows that the people that were there, were the right people to be there and the people that won tonight were the right people to lead the party.”
Drake, Jamie O’Brien and State Sen. Linda Rogers waited to receive results at Villa Macri’s in Granger while Clayton and Senate District 11 Republican candidate Brian Schmutzler waited just a few doors away at JC’s Coal Oven Pizza Co.
Drake believes that the people who turned out were people she had worked with on issues that cross party lines, such as cell tower issues and data centers. In December, Drake voted against a data center in New Carlisle after a 10-hour-long meeting, according to previous Tribune reporting.
“These are all issues that people turn out and want their representative to be with them when the issue comes up, and I was with them and I appreciate them coming out for me today,” Drake said.
Drake will face Democrat Ranjan Rohatgi in the general election Tuesday, Nov. 3.
“I’m not incredibly exicted but the people have spoken,” Clayton said. “I’m content.”
Email Tribune staff writer Juliane Balog at jbalog@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Incumbent Amy Drake beats first-time candidate in primary race
Reporting by Juliane Balog , South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
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