Greene County’s 7th Circuit Judge race will now have a Republican primary challenger. Zachary Schmidt will be challenged in March by Eldred lawyer John W. Guntren. Schmidt and Guntren will face off against either Elliott Turpin or Matthew Goetten on the Democrat side. They will be replacing the retiring longtime judge James W. Day who announced his retirement last year after 30 years on the bench.
Guntren has had law offices in Jerseyville since 1983 and has served as a public defender in several area courts. He has been a resident of Eldred in southern Greene County since 1987 where he owns a small farm, according to the Greene Prairie Press. Guntren filed for the seat late on December 2nd. The primary for all races for 2020 will be on March 17th.