Republicans claim all 18th District judicial races in Sedgwick County
10:20 p.m. Update
With all 270 precincts reporting, preliminary results show that Republicans will claim all seats in the 18th judicial district. Only three of the races were contested. The other 17 judges were running unopposed.
In District 1, Republican incumbent Phil Journey beat Joni Cole, his Democrat opponent, with 58% of the votes at 107,679. This will be his fourth term as a judge and he’ll be starting Wednesday with a full docket.
“The race is so big when it’s a state-wide race that for the challenger it really comes down to the momentum,” Journey said. “I’m really grateful to be serving Sedgwick County for another four years.”
Cole received 42% of the votes at 77,000.
“I’m disappointed in the voter turnout,” Cole said. “I would have expected it to be closer, but I’m proud of the race we ran. It was clean, professional and I look forward to running again.”
In District 11, Republican Quentin Pittman won over Democrat incumbent Monique Centeno with 58% of the votes at 104,533. Neither Pittman nor Centeno could be reached for comment.
In District 25, Republican incumbent Sean Hatfield triumphed over Democrat James Thompson. Hatfield received 58% of the votes with 105,485.
“I’m frankly quite humbled and honored to continue serving the state and the citizens of Sedgwick County for a fresh four-year term,” said Hatfield, who said he was planning on spending the night celebrating with his wife, who supported him throughout the campaign. “It’s been the honor of a lifetime.”
Thompson could not be reached for comment.
9:00 p.m. Update
With 116 of the 270 precincts reporting, Republicans lead in all three of the contested judicial races.
In District 11, Pittman, a Republican, has 81,505 votes, compared to Centeno, the Democrat incumbent, who has 45% of the votes at 67,807.
In District 25, Hatfield leads with 82,431 votes. Thompson, a Democrat, falls behinds with 45% of the votes at 67,457.
In District 1, Journey is leading with 84,320 votes compared to Cole with 45% of the votes or 68,272.
8:30 p.m. Update:
With 55 precincts reporting, Republicans remain in the lead in the three contested judicial races with 54% of the votes currently tallied.
In District 11, Pittman, a Republican, has 54% of the vote with 72,257 compared to Centeno, the Democrat incumbent, who has 46% of the votes at 62,763.
In District 25, Thompson, a Democrat who made it into the general election as a write-in candidate, is behind with 46% of the votes at 62,484. Hatfield, his Republican opponent, is leading with 54% of the vote at 73,111.
In District 1, Journey, a Republican, is leading with 54% of the vote 74,987 compared to Cole with 46% of the votes or 63,194.
Original story:
With less than one precinct reporting, preliminary results show that Republicans are currently leading in the only three competitive judicial races in district 18 in Sedgwick County. The other 17 positions are filled by Republican judges who are running unopposed.
The only Democrat incumbent serving the 18th district is Monique Centeno. In August of last year, Centeno was appointed by Governor Laura Kelly to finish the term of former Judge James Fleetwood when he retired. Centeno currently has 48% of the vote and 58,263 votes.
A graduate of Washburn Law, on her campaign page, Centeno emphasized the importance of being a “good” judge, which she defines as someone who is impartial and makes decisions free of political influence or personal views. Centeno did not return multiple emails and calls for comment.
Centeno faces off against Quentin Pittman, who holds 52% of the current votes at 64,376. A Republican candidate in 2016, Pittman was defeated in the primaries by current Judge Jeff Dewey, who currently holds Position 21 and is running unopposed.
A graduate of Washburn Law, Pittman, emphasizes his membership status in the National Rifle Association and Kansans for Life, a pro-life political action committee. Pittman did not return multiple emails requesting comment.
Republicans currently hold the two other contested judicial positions.
For Position 25, James Thompson, a Democrat who claimed a spot in the race as a write-in candidate, faces Republican incumbent Sean Hatfield. Thompson is falling behind Hatfield with 47% of the reported votes at 58,008. Hatfield has 65,236 and 53% of the current tallied votes.
A Wichita civil-rights lawyer, Army veteran and Wichita State Law School graduate, Thompson was a U.S. House candidate in 2017 and 2018 and lost to Ron Estes both times.
Thompson said earlier Tuesday that he felt really good about his chance of winning, adding “We ran a clean campaign of which we are proud. “
Thompson didn’t file to run as he was recovering from cancer surgery earlier this year. But by July, his health had improved and his supporters encouraged him to start a write-in campaign.
Hatfield, who was appointed in 2019 by former Gov. Jeff Colyer, has served as Assistant Kansas Attorney General and was a mayoral candidate for Wichita in 2015.
“Our campaign is confident going into tonight’s election,” Hatfield said Tuesday. “We have enjoyed strong support from Sedgwick County voters all across the political spectrum throughout the campaign. I am honored to serve Kansas as a district court judge and I look forward to continuing to do so.”
The other contested race is for Position 1, where Joni Cole, a Democrat, faces Republican incumbent Phil Journey. Journey has 53% of the current votes at 66,967.
Journey received a law degree from Oklahoma City University ran unopposed in both 2012 and 2016. He has served as a judge since 2008. In mailers, he reminded voters that he is pro-life and pro-second amendment.
Journey said he changed campaign tactics this year, choosing to focus on social media and mailers.
“I feel good about my race and I’m happy that it did not devolve, like so many other races have, to personal attacks,” Journey said today. “I have to give credit to Ms. Cole. We both rose above it.”
Cole spent several years working with law enforcement and in the criminal justice system before getting her law degree from the University of Missouri in Kansas City. In the 2018 general election, Cole was defeated when she ran for a district judge position against Republican Rodger Woods.
Cole currently has 47% of the votes at 58,692.
“I am feeling positive about tonight, and I am very hopeful for a win,” Cole said earlier Tuesday. “This year is like no other, at least not that I have ever seen, so it’s very difficult to gauge anything with any real certainty. I will say, we have worked very hard, kept our race professional and above board, and that is a win to me regardless of the outcome.”
All judges running unopposed are Republicans. They are:
Position 2 - Dave Dahl
Position 3 - Gregory D. Keith
Position 6 - Eric N. Williams
Position 9 - Christopher Magana
Position 10 - Bruce Brown
Position 12 - Kevin Mark Smith
Position 13 - Kevin O’Connor
Position 14 - Patrick Walters
Position 16 - Kellie E. Hogan
Position 20 - Stephen J. Ternes
Position 21 - Jeff Dewey
Position 22 - Deborah Hernandez Mitchell
Position 23 - William S. Woolley
Position 24 - Tyler J. Roush
Position 26 - Jeff Goering
Position 27 - Jeff Syrios
Position 28 - Eric A. Commer
This story was originally published November 3, 2020 at 8:29 PM.
