After finding out he won the Democratic primary for the Ninth District state representative seat, Monroe County Assessor Paul Quinn received a glass of champagne from an unusual source - his opponent, Ewell Lawson.

STATE REPRESENTATIVE
NINTH DISTRICT, DEMOCRAT
	Paul Quinn,  60 percent Ewell Lawson,  40 percent

As results of yesterday’s contest became clear, Lawson went to Quinn’s victory party in Paris equipped with a bottle of champagne. The toast with a former rival was one of the many points yesterday evening that contributed to Quinn’s "overwhelming" feeling of gratitude.

"When I first started feeling that I had won it, I sat back and realized how blessed I am to have family and friends that had faith me," Quinn said. "It was overwhelming, it’s still overwhelming that the voters still have so much confidence in me."

Quinn received 3,643 votes, or 60 percent of the ballots cast, while Lawson took 2,428 votes, or 40 percent. Although Lawson prevailed in Boone County, Quinn won the more rural Monroe County and Howard County by large margins.

Quinn said his agricultural background and years of working in county government put him over the top.

"This a rural district," Quinn said. "I think the combination of being an elected official for 22 years and having a farm background fits well for this district."

Quinn added that his commitment to being against abortion rights contributed to his win. "This district is basically a conservative district. That issue played a big role in it," he said. "That’s one of thing is I’ll always be, and that’s pro-life."

Lawson, who raised more money than Quinn and received backing from political figures like former Democratic Ninth District Congressman Harold Volkmer, said he would put any differences aside to help Quinn win in November.

"Our clash ends tonight," Lawson said. "That’s how we handle things in Monroe County."

Although he wouldn’t commit to saying whether he would run for office again, Lawson said he would continue to push his message of strong public schools, economic development and criticism of Medicaid cuts.

"I feel strongly about the fact that I think the direction the state’s heading is wrong," Lawson said. "We have to make some changes in the way we handle things. I will continue to be a part of that. I have for over 15 years."

Quinn said he and Lawson shared common ground on a lot of issues and hoped that he would help him in the fall.

"I would have supported him if he won and been glad to," Quinn said. "Anytime you put your name on the line, it’s hard. We are party members. We can have differences. We will work together, I’m sure."

He said the way to defeat Republican Howard County Treasurer Kathyrne Harper is to continue to spread the word about his campaign.

"We’re going to work hard to make sure it’s going to stay a Democratic district," he said.