Marshall County Primary Election results finalized: Morris, McFarland secure key wins

Tuesday, May 5, 2026 at 8:40 PM

By Kathy Bottorff

Shortly before 8 p.m. Tuesday, the Marshall County Clerk’s office released the final vote totals for the May 2026 Primary Election, revealing a mix of landslide victories and tightly contested races.

According to the final figures, which include both early and Election Day voting, 4,701 of the county's 29,872 registered voters cast their ballots, resulting in a 15.74% voter turnout. The total included 3,320 individuals who voted in-person at county vote centers on Election Day, alongside 1,183 early walk-in voters and 198 paper absentee ballots.

Locally, the Marshall County Republican Party featured the only contested candidate challenges, highlighted by four major races: County Prosecutor, County Sheriff, and County Council Districts 2 and 4.

In the race for County Prosecutor, Joe Morris secured a landslide victory over current Chief Deputy Prosecutor Nick Langowski. Morris captured 77.53% of the vote (2,602 votes), while Langowski garnered 22.47% (754 votes).

The race for County Sheriff proved to be the most competitive of the evening, with the two candidates separated by fewer than 100 votes. Lt. Detective Les McFarland narrowly defeated Captain Jeff Snyder, receiving 1,823 votes (51.38%) to Snyder's 1,725 votes (48.62%).

In the County Council District 2 race, incumbent Deb Johnson successfully defended her seat against challenger Tom Flynn. Johnson received 2,613 votes (58.33%), while Flynn took in 2,438 votes (41.67%).

Meanwhile, in County Council District 4, Brandon Richie won decisively with 63.71% of the vote (395 votes), defeating challenger Lauar Brockway, who received 36.29% (225 votes).

The primary also featured competitive Republican races for local township advisory boards, where voters were asked to select the top three candidates for each board.

For the Polk Township Advisory Board, the three winning candidates were Jerry Moor (158 votes), Jeff Gustafson (156 votes), and Michael Norris (153 votes). Challenger John Einhors finished fourth with 108 votes.

In the Union Township Advisory Board race, the three available seats were secured by Heather Overmyer (171 votes), Diane Hansen Miller (162 votes), and Terri Jo Morrison Hinds (145 votes). Candidate Amy Jones received 92 votes.