Sara Rodriguez and Roger Roth to compete for lieutenant governor in November

While not the major focus of Wisconsin’s primary election, races for lieutenant governor, state treasurer and secretary of state were decided Tuesday.

Democrat Sara Rodriguez and Republican Roger Roth will be their parties’ candidates for lieutenant governor in the fall.

Rodriguez and Roth won out in crowded fields for both parties, with 10 total candidates running for lieutenant governor.

In the race for state treasurer, Republican John Leiber won, while the Democratic race was still too close to call as of midnight. Aaron Richardson led with 38 percent, Gillian Battino had 36.6 percent and Angelito Tenorio trailed behind with 25.4 percent of the Democratic votes for state treasurer.

For secretary of state, longtime incumbent Doug La Follette easily won the nomination for the Democrats with 63.4 percent of the vote. Amy Loudenbeck’s race for the Republican nominee for secretary of state was closer — with her garnering 46.8 percent of votes, according to unofficial reports from the Associated Press.

Winning candidates for these three offices said they are preparing for the Nov. 8 general election by collaborating with their parties and connecting with voters.

Lieutenant governor

Sara Rodriguez

Rodriguez, a member of the state Assembly who represents Waukesha County and the western suburbs of Milwaukee, had 75.7 percent of Democratic votes when the Associated Press called the race at 9:22 p.m.

“I will work hard from this point forward to make sure we reelect Gov. (Tony) Evers this November,” Rodriguez said in an interview with Wisconsin Public Radio.

In a July debate, Rodriguez said she’s running for lieutenant governor because she wants to represent Wisconsin residents by advocating for abortion access, expanding child care services and supporting small business.

After Tuesday’s win, she said she’ll work with Evers’ team and connect with residents to hear their concerns in the months leading up to the general election.

“I am a full-time working mom,” Rodriguez said. “The types of issues that a lot of people within Wisconsin deal with today — those are the same issues my family deals with.”

Roger Roth

State Sen. Roth won the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor with 31.1 percent of the vote, according to unofficial vote totals.

He currently represents Wisconsin’s 19th Senate District, covering Appleton and parts of the Fox Valley. Roth serves as a military officer in the Wisconsin Air National Guard.

During the lieutenant governor debate on July 21, Roth said he wants to work with Wisconsin’s next governor on education and tax reform.

Roth did not respond to an interview request from WPR.

State treasurer

Six candidates competed in the primary race for state treasurer, despite the role’s near-elimination in 2018 when a ballot question asked voters if the elected position should be cut.

John Leiber

Republican John Leiber easily won his primary with 66.1 percent of the vote according to unofficial totals from the Associated Press.

In an interview after his nomination Tuesday, Leiber said he plans to work with other Republican candidates to ensure they “take back the state’s executive branch.”

“It looks like my message of smaller government has really resonated with the voters in the state,” Leiber said, following his nomination.

As of midnight on Wednesday, the Democratic race for state treasurer had not been called.