Yarger, Wermer, Riedel win their respective primary races

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

Republican voters in Van Wert County have voted to retain Eva Yarger as Van Wert County Juvenile/Probate Court Judge.

Final unofficial results from the Van Wert County Board of Elections show Yarger, who previously served as Van Wert County prosecutor, defeated Van Wert County Commissioner Todd Wolfrum 2,177-1,995. Yarger will be unopposed in the fall and will begin a new six-year term early next year.

“I am grateful for the trust the people of Van Wert County place in me and I thank every voter,” Yarger said. I am especially grateful to everyone who helped me. I will work hard to keep the trust and be the best judge I can.”

In early February, Yarger was chosen by Governor Mike DeWine to fill the seat formerly held by Judge Kevin H. Taylor, who retired at the end of 2025. Wolfrum was recommended by the Van Wert County Republican Central Committee, but DeWine chose Yarger instead. Wolfrum, a local attorney, will continue on as a county commissioner.

In the race for Van Wert County Auditor, Republican challenger Arica Wermer defeated incumbent Jami Bradford 2,437-1,582. Bradford was seeking a second term in office. It was Wermer’s first run at public office. She will not be challenged in the fall election and will take office in January, 2027.

“I am very honored to be the next Van Wert County Auditor,” Wermer said. “I want to say thank you to the community for their support and I couldn’t have done this without my friends and family. I am excited and ready to bring integrity and a strong work ethic to the Auditor’s Office with the current staff. I will be a leader that shows up and learns all functions of the job.”

“Thank you for this opportunity and I will do my best to serve this community,” she added.

The race for Ohio Senate District 1 was perhaps the most-watched Senate race in all of Ohio, and it proved to be a see-saw battle between current State Representative Jim Hoops and former State Representative Craig Riedel. The leader seemingly changed with each update from the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office but as the evening wore on, Riedel started to pull away. Final results show Riedel captured 51 percent of the vote, 22,165-21,309.

Hoops was seeking the seat due to term limits in the Ohio House. Because he has no opponent in November, Riedel will take office in January and will replace current State Senator Rob McColley, who could not seek re-election due to term limits. McColley is now the running mate of GOP gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswany.

In Van Wert County, Riedel defeated Hoops 2,561-1,475. The First Senate District includes all of Defiance, Hancock, Hardin, Henry, Fulton, Paulding, Putnam, Van Wert and Williams counties, along with part of Logan County.

In the GOP governor’s primary race, Van Wert County voters chose Vivek Ramaswamy and Rob McColley over Casey Putsch and Kimberly C. Georgeton 2,629-870. After dominating the GOP race statewide, Ramaswamy and McColley will face Democrats Amy Acton and David Pepper in November. Acton and Pepper were unopposed in the Democratic primary.

As far as issues, voters in Washington Township rejected an adidtional five year, 0.2 mill levy for maintenance of King Cemetery. Final totals show 164 no votes, while 121 voters cast ballots in favor of the issue.

Voters in the Van Wert County portion of the Parkway Local Schools district approved a five year, 8.97 mill renewal 65-57.

All results are unofficial until certified by the Van Wert County Board of Elections.

Complete totals can be found here.