By Ariele Vaccaro
In the primary race for Attorney General this Tuesday, Susan Happ won, receiving 55 percent of the votes.
Her other democratic opponents, Jon Richards, who closed with 33 percent, and Ismael Ozanne, who finished with 15 percent, will not go on to the November 4 election against republican candidate and Waukesha District Attorney, Brad Schimel.
Happ is currently the Jefferson County DA. She will go up against Schimel in the fall.
On Tuesday, she addressed the issues she finds most pressing to the people, as she moves on to a possible position as A.G..
“People are tired of the deviciveness. They’re tired of not being able to have conversations with their friends and neighbors about the things that matter.” said Happ.
“They want their attorney general to bring us back together. They want their attorney general to protect our rights.”
Among those were women’s right to their own healthcare choices, marriage equality, voting rights, and the right to enjoy a healthy and hygienic environment.
Dane County D.A., Ismael Ozanne, finds that those same issues must be addressed.
“I would assume that [Happ] will do all of those things,” said Ozanne.
He said he called Happ on Tuesday night to congratulate her.
“She has to be ready,” he said.
Ozanne pulled in only 15 percent of the votes. “I think our message was resonating, but the result wasn’t what we were hoping for,” said Ozanne.
He attributes some of this to a lack of registered voters taking part in what he calls, “exercising your most essential right.”
According to Ozanne, only 16 percent of eligible voters came out to place their ballots on Tuesday.
“We have to come together as people to get over this apathy,” he said.
However, he found that democrats have a certain strength in numbers.
“When people go to the polls, we win,” said Ozanne.
Although Ozanne will not be moving on to become A.G., he’ll continue to work in Dane County.
“I’m encouraged from the responses I got,” he said. “I truly understand that we are more alike than we are different.”
As far as another race for A.G. in the future, Ozanne said, “We shall see. I wouldn’t say no.”
Jon Richards pulled in a third of the votes.
He has been a State Representative since 1998.
He did not resign his seat, and will continue his term, which ends in January of 2015.
