By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
Buchanan County Western District Commissioner Ron Hook had a
longer election watch party than expected.
It lasted a week.
Hook has won re-election, edging out challenger Everett
Goodard, Jr. by 25 votes after a recount. Hook acknowledges it has been a
stressful week.
“I think it’s more stressful on my family, but you know I like
the outcome,” Hook tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “I’m very humbled by the
outcome. I’m very humbled by the constituents that put their faith in me and
voted for me and got us over the threshold of winning this.”
Initial totals on election night had Hook winning by 23. That
margin, well within one percent, triggered an automatic recount.
After the day-long recount Monday by the Buchanan County Clerk’s
office, Hook, a Democrat, came out on top with 7,869 votes to 7,844 cast for Goddard,
the Republican challenger.
Hook remains one of the few Democrats in the Buchanan County
Courthouse. Hook contends his party affiliation had an effect in the race,
saying he’s disappointed that many Buchanan County voters apparently looked at
the political party after the name rather than the individual on the ballot.
“That’s what’s disappointing,” Hook says. “And I’d feel the
same way whether I lost. It’s just disappointing to know that people go out
there and just vote for a party and not vote for a person.”
Unofficial results released by the Buchanan County Clerk’s
office show Republicans received big majorities from county voters on the 5th.
President-elect Donald Trump won nearly 63% of the vote. U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley,
a Republican, won more than 60% of the Buchanan County vote. Republican Congressman
Sam Graves received more than 65% of the vote. Buchanan County voters favored
Republican gubernatorial candidate, Mike Kehoe, with nearly 64% of the vote.
Hook, who has served as Western District Commissioner since 2009,
barely won re-election to another four-year term over a political newcomer.
Still, win re-election he did, if only by 25 votes.
Hook says he has enjoyed the job.
“This job is a great job for somebody that doesn’t like to sit
around,” according to Hook. “There’s always something going. There’s always
something happening. There’s something different every day. And I’ll tell you
what it’s something that I’ve just cherished, I really have.”
Hook says he enjoys who he works with in the courthouse and
enjoys who works for him in the Western District.
You can follow Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.
