Annysa Johnson

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Incumbent state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Evers easily placed first in Tuesday's primary election, earning the right to defend his seat in the April 4 election against voucher advocate Lowell Holtz.

Evers, who is seeking a third four-year term, had about 69% of the vote. Holtz, a retired Whitnall School District superintendent, had 23%. And former Dodgeville administrator-turned-part time-consultant John Humphries was third with 7%.

The state's top education post, which pays $120,111 annually, is officially nonpartisan. But Tuesday's primary sets the stage for a quasi-partisan battle over the direction of education in Wisconsin. It pits a longtime public school advocate favored mostly by Democrats and teachers unions against a pro-school-choice, anti-Common Core candidate backed primarily by Republicans.

ELECTION RESULTS: Statewide and Milwaukee-area races

MILWAUKEE-AREA COVERAGE: Milwaukee Municipal Judge | South Milwaukee Mayor

ELSEWHERE IN WISCONSIN: Fox Cities | Green Bay | Manitowoc | Oshkosh | Sheboygan | Marathon County

Evers, 65, said his large margin Tuesday reflected Wisconsin voters' commitment to public education. But he could face a tough fight ahead, he said, if Holtz attracts funding from school reform proponents across the country.

"They both vowed to go after national voucher money, and I assume that will be Mr. Holtz's M.O.," Evers said of his challengers. "If that happens...we will work as hard as we can to raise money and get people out to vote the next time around."

Holtz, 59, was not available for comment, according to his spokesman, because he was celebrating with friends and family. The candidate issued a statement saying he would present "an alternative vision for the future of Wisconsin's students to that of Dr. Tony Evers."

Humphries congratulated both candidates in a statement and urged voters to learn more about Holtz's proposals and to ask Evers what he plans to do differently.

"I remain convinced that Wisconsin students can achieve so much more with the right leadership at DPI."

So far, Evers has a significant edge financially. As of Feb. 14, he had raised more than $245,000 over the past 13 months, compared to Holtz's $54,280. But Holtz is expected to pick up many of Humphries' conservative supporters and could attract outside funding from education reform advocates who see a chance to bring Wisconsin in line with the views of new U.S. Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who has been critical of Common Core and supports the expansion of taxpayer funded vouchers.

Higher-than-expected turnouts in Madison and Dane County at large — as much as 18% to 22%, according to early estimates — likely helped Evers. Madison and Dane County clerks could not say whether the DPI race brought voters to the polls.

"I think people are more energized in general — showing up at town hall meetings, county party meetings that no one used to show up at, those kinds of things," said Dane County Clerk Scott McDonell.

Milwaukee did not see a similar bump.

"If anything, I think voters may be a little fatigued coming out of the fall election cycle," said Neil Albrecht, executive director of the Milwaukee Election Commission.

Of the three DPI superintendent candidates, Humphries, 51, had mounted the most aggressive campaign, holding weekly news conferences to roll out reform proposals on everything from a new state report card system to creation of a state board of education that would dilute the powers of the elected school superintendent.

Both Humphries and Holtz criticized Evers, saying his tenure has coincided with a decline in educational performance in the state.

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Evers continued to travel the state as superintendent, touting innovative programs at schools and his budget proposal calling for an additional $707 million investment in public education. But he waged a relatively low-key campaign, appearing content to watch as Humphries and Holtz turned on each other in the final weeks of the race.

Holtz has derided Humphries as a conservative in name only, noting that he had signed the 2011 petition attempting to recall Gov. Scott Walker and has voted for several democratic candidates over the years.

Last week, Humphries accused Holtz of offering to drop out of the race in return for $150,000-a-year post in any Humphries administration and the authority to break up or take over urban school districts. Holtz called the allegation "baloney," saying it was a "rough draft" of a proposal in which the loser would join the winner's campaign after the primary.

Evers' campaign called the deal "a massive power grab." And the liberal advocacy group One Wisconsin Now filed an ethics complaint with the Wisconsin Election Commission.