VIGO COUNTY, (WTWO/WAWV) — The results of the 2023 primary elections are in.
The most closely watched race in the area was the Democratic mayoral race between Brandon Sakbun and Pat Goodwin to see who will run against incumbent Terre Haute Mayor Duke Bennett.
Around 8:00 p.m. the results came in as follows:
- Brandon Sakbun (D) | 2,414 (54.73%)
- Pat Goodwin (D) | 2,034 (45.73%)
Following his victory, Sakbun reflected on the past few months that led him to Tuesday night’s triumph.
“We spent 100 days just going out there and working hard,” he said. “Getting on the ground and really showing that energy and that charisma and that vision for where Terre Haute can go, that’s what really matters.”
Sakbun acknowledged the primary was only the first part of the campaign, and he said he’s ready to hit the ground running the next six months.
“All that energy and all that success that we will celebrate today, I can assure you tomorrow morning at 6 a.m, we’re back at it,” he said. “We’ve got a long road until November, and we cannot rest on the laurels of success, we got to keep going.”
He will run against the Republican incumbent, Mayor Duke Bennett, who is seeking a fifth term. Bennett said he was looking forward to the campaign.
“Every four years you need to figure out who’s going to be the next mayor, and we’re kind of in that cycle when you look at all the positives and things that have happened, we can all celebrate that, but we got to keep that momentum going, so that’s the bottom line,” he said. “I’m appreciative to be in this position, getting through today and getting ready for the fall, I look forward to that.”
It’s a familiar situation for Bennett, who was elected back in 2007. Sakbun said the city has made strides over Bennett’s tenure, and he wants to capitalize on that growth.
“It’s important for us to look over the past 16 years, while there have been some accomplishments, I will not discredit where this city has gone, but I want us to focus on where we can be,” he said.
Bennett said he wants the race to be about what’s in the best interest in the city.
“Everybody wants what’s best for the city. In my case, the things that we’ve been working on, we’ve been striving for those goals and we’re going to continue to do that,” he said. “I think it will be a great campaign as we move forward, I think it will be about the issues, be about making Terre Haute a better place, and I want to be able to tell that story of the successes we have and the things we have in the pipeline.”
