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Voter turnout in Dickinson County was about 51% on Tuesday as a school board race was decided in Iron Mountain and a millage renewal was approved for Breitung Township Schools.
In the 109th House District, incumbent state Rep. Karl Bohnak, R-Deerton, was defeated by Democrat Anna Aho Rink of Marquette.
Republican David Prestin was elected in the 38th Senate District to succeed term-limited state Sen. Ed McBroom, R-Waucedah Township. In statewide legislative results, Democrats will hold majorities in both the Michigan House and Senate.
Shari Picucci-White was reelected to the Iron Mountain Public Schools Board in a four-way race for two seats. Eli Ward was also elected. The totals were 1,415 for Picucci-White; 1,013 for Ward; 821 for Jay Gibbs and 791 for incumbent Juan M. Saldana.
The Breitung Township School District referendum was a 10-year renewal of 0.8902 mills, or 89 cents per $1,000 of taxable value. It was approved 3,285 yes to 1,641 no.
The sinking fund generates about $500,000 to $600,000 a year that is used for certain improvements in the district, including facility upgrades, security and technology.
School board elections were held in all other districts in the county, but there were no contested races.
In the 109th House District Aho Rink of Marquette garnered 53.6% of the vote, according to unofficial totals. The 109th District encompasses all of Alger, Marquette, and Baraga counties and part of Dickinson County -- the city of Norway and Breen; and Felch, Waucedah and Norway townships.
In the Dickinson County portion of the district, Bohnak prevailed by nearly 1,000 votes -- 2,011 to 1,033. The preliminary district-wide totals were 23,804 for Aho Rink to 20,602 for Bohnak, who has served one term.
State Rep. Greg Markkanen, R-Hancock, retained his seat in the 110th District, receiving 59% of the vote against Democratic challenger Brian Irizarry, according to preliminary totals. The 110th District includes Gogebic, Houghton, Iron, Keweenaw and Ontonagon counties, as well as part of Dickinson County — Breitung Township, Sagola Township, and the cities of Iron Mountain and Kingsford.
In Dickinson County, Markkanen received 5,481 votes to 3,077 for Irizarry.
In the 38th Senate District, state Rep. Prestin, R-Cedar River prevailed in a three-way race, garnering about 52% of the vote. The district includes 13 of the U.P.’s 15 counties and portions of Chippewa and Mackinac counties.
In Dickinson County, Prestin led with 7,329 votes, while Democrat Kelli Van Ginhoven received 3,864. Sara Cambensy, running without party affiliation, got 552 votes. District-wide, Van Ginhoven drew 39% of the vote and Cambensy collected 9%.
Dickinson County voters backed Republicans in statewide races that were swept by Democrats.
John James, the Republican candidate for governor, out-polled Gov.-elect Jocelyn Benson in Dickinson County -- 7,219 to 4,459. Statewide, Benson won with 54.5% of the vote.
In the U.S. Senate race, Republican Mike Rogers was favored over Democrat Abdul El-Sayed in Dickinson County, 7,338 to 4,266. Statewide, El-Sayed won with 52.5% of the vote.
Republican margins of victory in Dickinson County were lower than in the 2024 presidential election. According to an NBC News analysis, Democratic candidates showed an improvement Tuesday of about 10 percentage points in Dickinson County compared with 2024.
According to figures posted by the Dickinson County clerk’s office, there were 11,956 ballots cast in Dickinson County among 23,234 registered voters. The breakdown included 7,004 in-person on Tuesday; 1,795 early voting; and 3,157 absentee.