Although he couldn’t replicate his success around the state, GOP U.S. Senate candidate Eric Hovde inched out a narrow victory in Sussex Tuesday.

With just 71 more votes than former governor – and GOP Senate nominee – Tommy Thompson, Hovde snatched the win in the village with 572 votes. Thompson came in second with 501 Sussex votes, followed by Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald with 315 votes. Former U.S. Representative Mark Neumann brought up the rear with 242 votes.

Along with the rest of Waukesha County, Sussex favored City of Pewaukee Alderwoman Kathleen Novack to replace Kathy Nickolaus as county clerk. Novack snatched 448 votes, with Kathleen Karalewitz taking second in the race with 384 votes. Gina Kozlik came in third.

The only other contested race in Sussex was for the Waukesha County Register of Deeds seat. A majority of Sussex voters favored incumbent James Behrend, with Michael Starich coming in roughly 100 points behind him. Behrend won the seat with 21,100 votes – 41.5 percent of the vote.

In all, just less than 1,800 registered Sussex residents cast a ballot, equaling roughly a 26 percent voter turnout. The breakdown of Sussex votes in the primary is as follows:

U.S. Senate

Waukesha County Clerk

Register of Deeds