By JOHN DEMPSEY
TIPTON — The office of Tipton County coroner will remain within the Nichols family for the next four years.
Voters chose Republican Philip V. Nichols, the father of the current coroner, Bob Nichols, by 1,499 votes over Democrat Donald Boyer. It was a good night for the Nichols family as another son, Brad, was the top vote-getter among Tipton County Council at-large candidates.
Republican Marla Featherstone won re-election as recorder. She garnered 64.5 percent of the vote in beating Democrat Nichole Burkett.
Running unopposed, Thomas Lett retained the position of Tipton Circuit Court judge.
Republican Dan Burton, the incumbent in the 5th District in the U.S. House of Representatives, garnered 5,093 votes, or 66.6 percent. Democrat Mary Etta Ruley received 2,553 votes.
For state representative District 35, Republican L. Jack Lutz won the county with 1,020 votes to 621 for Democrat Lee Ann Mengelt.
In national and state offices, Republican presidential candidate John McCain was an easy winner in the county, finishing with 1,202 votes more than Democrat Barack Obama.
Gov. Mitch Daniels scored the highest vote percentage of candidates with opposition. The Republican received 67 percent of the vote to Democrat Jill Long Thompson’s 30.7 percent.
Greg Zoeller and Tony Bennett, Republican candidates for attorney general and superintendent of public instruction, respectively, each won the county by more than 1,000 votes.
