Democrat Ken Cotter fended off a serious challenge from Republican Jeffrey Sanford in a close race for St. Joseph County prosecutor.
The Democratic candidate received 54 percent of the vote to the Republican candidate’s 46 percent with 97 percent of precincts reporting. Cotter’s nearly 5,000 vote lead is insurmountable at this point. (See the full results of local races here.)
Cotter has worked 19 years in the prosecutor’s office.
Outgoing prosecutor Michael Dvorak, a Democrat, has served three terms. Dvorak beat Republican incumbent Chris Toth in the 2002 midterms.
“My philosophy as your Prosecutor is relatively straightforward: we need to keep violent criminals off our streets, rehabilitate those who can contribute to our community, and make sure that crime victims are respected,” Cotter told voters in a statement as part of a South Bend Voice candidate series.
————
