The Dane County Board primaries wrapped up Tuesday, leaving Ashok Kumar and David Lapidus left to face off April 4 for the vacant District 5 seat.
The polls closed with Kumar in the lead with 307 votes, followed by Lapidus with 155, Adam Korn with 69 and Sean Cornelius with 27.
Kumar said his activism on campus, as well as his consistent stands as a liberal helped ensure victory in the primary.
'I've always been an activist and involved in progressive issues,' Kumar said. 'I think a lot of issues resonate with the students.'
Both Kumar and Lapidus will return to building their constituencies after the primary as they prepare to square off in April.
Despite being disappointed, both Korn and Cornelius expressed their belief in the quality and integrity of the race.
'As far as I can tell, I think my three opponents are great guys and we got along very well,' Cornelius said. 'We all treated each other with respect and I think the race was better for it.'
Korn expressed dismay, as the election did not end in his favor, but said he was optimistic about still being able to push for a progressive agenda.
'I'm not that upset,' Korn said. 'Ashok is a good liberal, and I think he's going to do good things on the County Board, and I'm proud to give him my support any way he needs it.'
Kumar and Lapidus were able to celebrate their dual victories Tuesday night, but sensitivities remain, as even county politics can get supposedly dirty.
'I did hear some allegations about the Lapidus campaign,' Korn said. 'I know there were some issues with absentee ballots and possibly voter intimidation.'
Cornelius said he also heard about allegations of impropriety, but refused to name the candidate involved.
Lapidus rebuffed critics of his campaign and pledged to work with Kumar before the general election to ensure integrity in voting.
'I think all the candidates work hard and I only want to run a clean campaign,' Lapidus said.
Yet, an uphill battle remains for Lapidus whose numbers fell significantly short of Kumar's.
'I could not have accomplished this without the hard work of everyone who volunteered,' Kumar said. 'People who lent their time were good organizers and were committed.'
