Sharon Callabresi received nearly 47% of the vote in a three-candidate Republican contest.

Sharon Callabresi defeated incumbent Saline County Commissioner Tom Arpke and challenger James Ravenkamp in Tuesday’s Republican primary for County Commission District 1.

Final unofficial election-night results showed:

Sharon Callabresi: 422 votes, or 46.8%
Tom Arpke: 270 votes, or 29.9%
James Ravenkamp: 210 votes, or 23.3%

A total of 902 votes were cast in the race. Callabresi finished 152 votes ahead of Arpke and 212 votes ahead of Ravenkamp.

Callabresi Wins Three-Candidate Field

Callabresi did not receive an outright majority, but she won a clear plurality.

She received 328 Election Day votes, compared with 209 for Arpke and 154 for Ravenkamp. Callabresi also led early voting with 81 votes, while Arpke received 48 and Ravenkamp received 42.

Advance voting was nearly even, with Arpke and Callabresi each receiving 13 votes and Ravenkamp receiving 14.

Arpke Was Seeking Another Term

Arpke currently represents District 1 on the Saline County Commission and serves as the board’s secretary.

Callabresi’s victory makes her the apparent Republican nominee to replace Arpke when the current term ends, subject to the general election and certification of the primary results.

District 1 includes Salina precincts 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 12, along with the Cambria, Dayton and Elm Creek townships.

General-Election Field Not Yet Final

The county’s June 1 filing list showed Callabresi, Arpke and Ravenkamp as the named Republican candidates for District 1. No named Democratic candidate appeared on that list, although the Democratic primary produced 51 write-in votes.

Independent nominations were permitted through noon Aug. 3, meaning the final November ballot should be confirmed through the county’s certified general-election candidate list.

Results Remain Unofficial

Saline County’s election-night totals remain unofficial pending the review of provisional ballots and the county canvass.

The remaining process could make small changes to the vote totals. However, Callabresi’s 152-vote advantage over Arpke makes her the apparent winner of the Republican nomination.

The general election is scheduled for Nov. 3.