Lisa Zavogiannis became the first district attorney to win a second term of office in the history of the 31st Judicial District, edging independent candidate Tim Pirtle, who carried Warren County but lost the election thanks to the incumbent’s strong showing in Van Buren County.
Pirtle carried Warren County by a scant seven votes, besting Zavogiannis by a count of 4,074 to 4,067. However, it was not close in Van Buren County, which makes up the 31st Judicial District along with Warren County. Zavogiannis carried Van Buren by a vote of 1,091 to 759.
The win comes after a heavily spent and hotly contested campaign. Zavogiannis, who began her campaign for reelection last year, was not joined in the race until the final week of qualifying this past spring when Pirtle declared his candidacy.
The race saw a heated exchange between Pirtle and Zavogiannis during a candidate forum during which Pirtle questioned the incumbent’s record and claimed she had not been tough on crime. Zavogiannis volleyed that he had manipulated the numbers and that she stood by her record.
Van Buren County became a battleground county after Pirtle promised to put an office in Spencer if he were elected. The campaign promise was not enough to lift Pirtle in a county Zavogiannis won handily eight years ago.
"This feels good because I know what we've been doing is the right thing," said Zavogiannis after hearing the election results. "It was a tough race and my opponent worked hard. Two of my top priorities remain fighting drugs and child abuse prevention."