BROOKINGS — Republican voters in Brookings County gave a solid endorsement to Dave Biteler in the June 2 primary election for county sheriff, awarding him 2,506 votes to Shawn Hostler’s 1,141 votes.
That means Biteler will advance to the Nov. 3 general election in a contest against independent candidate Manny Langstraat. Both currently work in the Brookings County Sheriff’s Office — Biteler as the assistant sheriff and Langstraat as a patrol sergeant. Hostler, too, had previous experience in the sheriff’s office.
“I am humbled and want to thank the Brookings County voters for their turnout and for putting confidence in me to move forward to the general election in November,” Biteler told The Brookings Register.
Don’t expect him to take a breather, either.
“The victory (on June 2) doesn’t mean we stop right here and take a break,” Biteler said. “It’s always forward and we’ve got work to do from now until the November election.”
For his part, Hostler was proud of his campaign.
“It’s kind of one of those things: Somebody’s … got to win, somebody’s got to lose and (on June 2) we just came up a little short,” he said. “I’m proud of the campaign that we ran — we ran a campaign on honest issues with a vision for the sheriff’s office. Unfortunately, we just came up a little short.”
With voters having made up their minds, Hostler plans to make the most of his remaining time on the Brookings County Commission.
“I have six months left here on the (commission) — I’m not going to rule anything out,” he said. “I’m going to finish out my term and do the best I can by the citizens of Brookings County while I’m still in there.”
As to his future political plans? “We’ll re-evaluate and see what’s going on and see what the future holds.”
Meanwhile, Langstraat is putting all of his energy into this fall.
“I’ve just been focused on November the entire time — I haven’t been focused on the primary at all,” he said. “With Dave winning, congratulations, and I just look forward to a great contest.”
Langstraat noted that his strategy has relied on grassroots campaigning.
“My campaign this whole time has been about meeting people and getting to know them all across the county and to understand their concerns for the sheriff’s office — bringing transparency and communication,” Langstraat said.
Looking ahead to summer and beyond, Biteler plans to be very active as well.
“Well, we’ve got a lot of doors to knock on; we’ve got some events planned over the summer; and getting to hear from more and more Brookings County voters and what they see fit that the county needs as far as the sheriff’s office goes, and just getting around and talking,” he said.
Biteler also expressed his gratitude once again.
“I just want to thank Brookings County voters for their confidence and the great turnout that we had,” Biteler said. “You’ll be seeing me this summer.”
Voting breakdown
With 10 voting centers in all, Brookings County had a total of 3,647 votes in the GOP primary for sheriff. A vote center-by-vote center breakdown follows, with the totals according to the South Dakota secretary of state’s website.
Absentee
• Biteler: 764
• Hostler: 360
Aurora Impact Church
• Biteler: 79
• Hostler: 56
Bethel Baptist Church Area 1
• Biteler: 279
• Hostler: 94
Bethel Baptist Church Area 2
• Biteler: 222
• Hostler: 94
Brookings Activity Center
• Biteler: 312
• Hostler: 175
Bruce Community Club
• Biteler: 75
• Hostler: 44
Elkton Community Center
• Biteler: 60
• Hostler: 44
Holy Life Tabernacle
• Biteler: 237
• Hostler: 113
Volga Community Center
• Biteler: 358
• Hostler: 121
White McKnight Hall
• Biteler: 120
• Hostler: 40
— Contact Mondell Keck at [email protected].
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