Dora Drake beat fellow Milwaukee state Rep. LaKeshia Myers nearly 2-to-1 in the Dem primary to fill the vacant 4th SD and will be unopposed on the July 30 ballot for a five-month term in the Senate.
According to unofficial returns, Drake had 4,439 votes, or 65.8%, while Myers received 2,298, or 34%.
Drake is now in line to succeed former state Sen. Lena Taylor after the former Dem lawmaker resigned in January following her appointment to the Milwaukee County Circuit Court.
Drake credited her campaign team for her victory and the work it put in on the doors.
Still, she noted the campaign will now have to change its focus to the Aug. 13 primary, when she will again face Myers for a full four-year term that begins early next year. The winner of that contest will be unopposed on the Nov. 5 ballot.
“If we put in the same amount of work that we put into this election, my hope is it would be the same result,” Drake told WisPolitics.
Drake outraised Myers more than 6-to-1 ahead of the primary, according to their campaign finance reports. Her haul of $66,528 included donations from unions, business leaders and school voucher advocates. She also reported a more robust mail campaign in the weeks ahead of the primary.
In a phone interview, Myers downplayed the significance of Tuesday’s results, saying her focus has been on the Aug. 13 primary. She also noted today’s low turnout.
While less than 6,800 votes were cast in Tuesday’s primary, according to unofficial returns, nearly 18,800 people voted in the 2016 4th SD primary as Taylor beat back a challenge from then-state Rep. Mandela Barnes.
Myers, who raised $10,517 through the pre-primary period, said he’s confident she’ll have the resources needed for the August primary.
“That was done strategically on my part,” Myers said of her focus on the August primary rather than the July race. “As far as resources, I should be fine.”
