Winfield Democrat Ed Trimmer’s 13-year tenure in the state legislature appears to have come to an end Tuesday at the hands of Republican challenger Cheryl Helmer.
Unofficial vote totals from Sumner and Cowley counties show Helmer garnered 3,586 votes (50.8 percent) to Trimmer’s 3,461 (49.1). Trimmer was the incumbent in the Kansas House of Representatives 79th Dist.
He was first appointed to the seat in 2005 to fill a vacancy created upon the death of Judy Showalter.
In Cowley County, Trimmer bested Helmer 2,733 votes to 2,255. Sumner County was a different story, Helmer tallied 1,331 votes to Trimmer’s 728.
Trimmer, 66, was seeking his seventh term in the State House of Representatives. Helmer, who lives in rural Mulvane, is a newcomer to state politics.
The 79th includes all of Winfield and extends west to include eastern Sumner County.
Results are unofficial until vote canvassing can take place. Tallying of some votes in Sumner County was done by hand due to issues with equipment.
