Amy Canterbury ousts Vanderburgh County Commissioner Cheryl Musgrave, readies for November

EVANSVILLE — Amy Canterbury said it was a hard fight to be the Republican party's nominee for the District 3 seat on the Vanderburgh County Commission, but in the end she came out victorious.

The former United Way CEO gave a big cheer to those gathered in her honor at The Foundry on Tuesday evening, thanking her family and supporters for their work.

Canterbury beat incumbent Cheryl Musgrave with nearly 53% of the vote. That broke down to 6,591 votes for Canterbury to Musgrave's 5,889 votes.

The Vanderburgh County Clerk's Office reported all 22 vote centers accounted for just after 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, and voter turnout for the county was about 12%.

Canterbury will face Democratic nominee Hope Fussner come November. Fussner had no primary challenger.

The Courier & Press sent Musgrave a message Tuesday evening asking if she would like to comment on the results and did not hear back.

'It takes the whole village'

Canterbury's thankfulness extended specifically to her daughter Courtney, who had recently written a letter asking voters to support her mother.

In the letter, Courtney called her mom "her rock," and said she was always there for both her and her sister.

"She has never let our family down," the letter stated in closing, "and she won't let you down."

Canterbury said her campaign going forward will be working together to make change in a positive way.

"It takes the whole village," she said. "That's what's different about this campaign, it was the whole village that supported the change."

'We're going for November'

Canterbury said she plans to keep the pace the way they have heading into the November election.

"It really is about honesty, integrity and civility and moving forward," she said. "I know that our community and county is ready for a change."

The results of the race show that to be true, with voters ousting a fixture of Vanderburgh County politics.

Musgrave has had over 30 years of success in winning county races, but she was coming into the primary off a 28-point loss in the GOP primary for Evansville mayor last year.

Her current term will last to January.

Canterbury said Tuesday soon after results were in that she had not talked to Musgrave yet, and did not know if she would.

"I will tell you I have an unimaginable amount of texts and phone calls coming in," she said.

Now, Canterbury sets up for a new opponent, Democratic candidate Hope Fussner. This is also Fussner's first run for local office.

Tuesday, Fussner posted to social media she was thankful for the support she'd received so far. Her focus remains on community, collaboration and clarity.

"I’m very thankful for my team," she said. "Whether you’ve hosted a yard sign, come to an event, or told someone about me, your impact is spreading. I couldn’t do this without all of your support."

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Amy Canterbury wins Vanderburgh County primary, looks ahead to general