Primary voters in Tonganoxie gave the nod to a slate of candidates that showed a familiarity either with teaching or with the district.

Voters went to the polls Tuesday to pare races in two school board primaries: Position No. 2, which covers northern Tonganoxie, and the at-large Position No. 7. In both races, three candidates were on the ballot with just two of them advancing to a runoff in the April 3 general election.

Winning the Position 2 primary was Craig Lohman, a self-employed farmer and rancher with 108 votes. Lohman has served as the district’s ninth-grade girls basketball coach and as the softball team’s co-coach.

He’ll square off in April against Tonganoxie High School Class of 1977 classmate Kathy Baragary, who has worked as an emergency substitute teacher in the district. Baragary received 103 votes.

Eliminated was Rex Hutton, a journeyman power lineman, who received 36 votes.

In the Position 7 at-large primary, former school board member Mildred McMillon and Tonganoxie physician Dr. Bill Weatherford will advance to the general election.

McMillon, who served from 1976 to 1986 on the Tonganoxie school board and on the Kansas State Board of Education from 1986 to 1998, received 290 votes.

Weatherford, a former high school science teacher in the Blue Valley school district, will have some votes to make up if he wants to gain the at-large seat. He polled 218 votes, well behind McMillon’s total.

Ousted from the at-large race was Francie Campbell, who received 113 votes.

The outcomes won’t become official until after a canvass of votes at 9 a.m. Friday by the Leavenworth County Commission.