Voters in Lansing's Ward 1 backed incumbent city councilmember Ryan Kost and challenger Michael VandeGuchte on Tuesday, pushing both candidates forward to the November general election.
Kost faced off against two challengers in the primary, including VandeGuchte and D. Taft. With 100% of precincts reporting unofficial results, the incumbent councilmember led the tally Tuesday night with more than 70% of the vote, followed in second by VandeGuchte with about 19%.
Taft came in third with just under 10%, meaning he won't advance to the general election.
The candidates had said they wanted to address unsafe housing in Lansing, strengthen public safety, and enhance economic development.
Residents on Lansing's Eastside elected Kost in a special election last year by 55 votes. His tenure on the council has centered around red-tagged housing and repairing sidewalk and road infrastructure.
He's faced scrutiny in recent weeks following reporting from the Lansing City Pulse and Lansing State Journal indicating he had a personal protection order issued against him and that he was aware of a debt owed to an Eaton County court over an auto accident that he had previously claimed he didn't recall.
VandeGuchte is a team leader for Meijer and a former security officer for Sparrow Hospital. He told WKAR he wants to support small businesses and bolster Lansing's mental health resources.
The candidates will face off in the November general election.
