St. Joseph County commissioner: Incumbent Hazen squeaks by to win District 3 GOP race

Incumbent Tony Hazen beat two opponents to win the Republican primary race Tuesday for St. Joseph County commissioner in District 3.

But it came by a pretty close 46-vote margin.

In unofficial results Tuesday night, Hazen claimed 2,525 votes, compared with 2,479 for Tom McCormick and 975 for Maggie DeMaegd.

“I knew it would be close with three of us in the race,” Hazen said.

Hazen came into the election with the strongest financial backing. He’d raised almost $100,000, while McCormick raised almost $22,500 and DeMaegd ran a self-financed campaign with $547, according to campaign finance reports (form CFA-4) filed in mid-April.

“I knew it was going to be a battle,” he said when asked about the nearly $100,000 he raised. “I knew we were going to have to spend money. And I knew Maggie was going to pull votes from Mishawaka.”

District 3 covers much of Mishawaka and the eastern, southeastern and southwestern parts of St. Joseph County.

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Hazen, a retired Mishawaka police chief, was serving on the Mishawaka Common Council when he left that role early this year and was chosen by a GOP caucus to fill the remainder of District 3 Commissioner Deb Fleming’s term through the end of this year. Fleming had resigned from her seat early for health reasons.

McCormick, of North Liberty, had filed for the GOP caucus to fill Fleming’s seat, then discovered he couldn’t because he doesn’t live within the District 3 boundaries as they’re currently drawn. But redistricting measures in 2022 do put his home in the district starting in 2025.

“I appreciate that we ran a clean race,” McCormick said, just after calling to congratulate Hazen. “Between the two of us, we kept it mutual and fair across the board … the way it should be in a primary.”

“At the same time, I shared that, hopefully, he sees … the number of individuals who turned out on my behalf and who they were,” McCormick added, referring to rural voters, which he said responded especially in North Liberty, the southern part of the county and Osceola. “They want a voice and need a voice. I asked him to try and work with these individuals as well. … There’s more than just Mishawaka in District 3.”

When asked, Hazen said he does intend to represent the southern part of the county, adding that he visited the area nine or 10 times in the last two months.

“I know that they’re in need of some representation,” he said.

Though he lost by a close margin, McCormick said he wouldn’t seek a recount, noting that it would be costly and that he trusts that county officials ran the election with integrity.

McCormick owns a home electrical services company that he’d started in 1999 and has served as a Liberty Township firefighter for 35 years.

DeMaegd served on the Mishawaka Common Council for four years until she lost that seat in last fall’s elections.

DeMaegd had faced a challenge in February — which was ultimately denied by the county election board — from someone who claimed DeMaegd wasn’t a Republican because of a social media post where she’d described herself as a "… a strong, independent conservative woman" and an "independent candidate.”

There are currently no Democrats running for District 3 commissioner, though political parties still have a chance to name an opponent in uncontested races for the fall elections.

South Bend Tribune reporter Joseph Dits can be reached at 574-235-6158 or jdits@sbtinfo.com.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Tony Hazen wins Republican primary for St. Joseph County commissioner