REAL DUBUQUE NEWS (RDN)
Kettmann wins Jackson County supervisor seat over Flagel write-in campaign
LOCAL NEWS WIRE • November 12, 2026
Joe Kettmann took the District 2 seat with 5,984 votes; Republicans swept Jackson County offices with no Democrats on the ballot.
KEY FACTS & RECORD HIGHLIGHTS
- Joe Kettmann won the Jackson County Supervisor District 2 seat with 5,984 votes, according to unofficial election results.
- A total of 1,035 write-in votes were cast, although they were not necessarily for incumbent Supervisor Nin Flagel.
- Flagel waged a public write-in campaign to retain her seat after Kettmann defeated her in the June primary; her term ends Dec. 31.
- Republican Don Schwenker ran unopposed for a second term as District 3 supervisor and received 6,535 votes.
- Republican Beth Gerlach received 7,177 votes to retain her seat as county treasurer; Republican Jennifer Jones received 6,669 votes to hold the county recorder seat; Republican county attorney John Kies received 6,489 votes for his second term.
- All seats carry four-year terms beginning Jan. 1; results remain unofficial until canvassed by the Jackson County Board of Supervisors.
- About 63.4 percent of eligible Jackson County voters voted in 2026, a total of 8,694 voters.
According to the Bellevue Herald-Leader, Joe Kettmann has won the Jackson County Supervisor District 2 seat, defeating a public write-in campaign by incumbent Supervisor Nin Flagel. Kettmann, who defeated Flagel in the June primary, received 5,984 votes, according to unofficial election results. A total of 1,035 write-in votes were cast, although they were not necessarily for Flagel. Flagel, whose term ends Dec. 31, said she respects the process and the will of the voters and will continue serving to the best of her ability until her term ends. With no Democrats running for county offices, Republicans swept last week’s general election in Jackson County, and voters faced no contested county races. Kettmann thanked constituents, saying he knocked on more than 800 doors during the primary and looks forward to representing all the people of Jackson County.
Official Attribution: Bellevue Herald-Leader • Photo: Farragutful / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0