BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ The North Dakota state treasurer's office
will stay in Republican hands.
Incumbent Kelly Schmidt defeated Democratic challenger Ross
Mushik (MYOO'-shik) on Tuesday to win a third term.
The 50-year-old Schmidt is a Mandan resident. She was first
elected treasurer in 2004.
The treasurer's office manages cash for some North Dakota
agencies and distributes tax collections to local governments.
It has been the smallest state agency headed by an elected
official. It has seven employees. The office has survived past
attempts to abolish it.
The amount of money the treasurer handles has grown as North
Dakota's oil tax collections increase.
Mushik is a Mandan businessman and former state budget analyst
and auditor. His mother, Corliss Mushik, was a longtime Democratic
state senator.
