Central Oregon election results in: Runoffs and clear winners
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Voters across Central Oregon participated in a busy election season, with results determining various county commissioner positions, primary nominations for statewide offices and the failure of several measures. While some races concluded with clear winners, others in Deschutes and Crook Counties are headed for November runoffs.
Deschutes and Jefferson County Results
In Deschutes County, Jamie Collins secured Position 1 with 58% of the vote, defeating incumbent Tony DeBone and Rick Russell won Position 4 with 57% of the vote. Tana West was elected Deschutes County Tax Assessor with 78% of the vote.
However, the races for Position three and Position five will proceed to a November runoff as no candidate in either race received more than 50% plus one vote.
In Jefferson County, incumbents Mark Wunsch and Kelly Simmerlink were reelected to Position one and Position two respectively, with Simmerlink surpassing the 50% threshold with 55% of the vote to avoid a runoff.
Position 1 Race Details
Deschutes County's Position one race saw DeBone, a 16-year incumbent, receive 38% of the vote, with Brooke West receiving 7%. DeBone had served on the county commission since 2010, during which time the county's population grew from nearly 158,000 to nearly 215,000 residents.
Position 3 Race Breakdown
The Position three race, held by outgoing Commissioner Patti Adair, will see Lauren Connally, with 38% of the vote, face Amy Sabbadini, who received 32%. Amanda Page secured 20%, Gary Campbell 5% and Samuel Facey 3%, with Charles Webster Baer receiving 2%.
In Position 4, Chet Wamboldt received 43% of the vote against Russell.
Position 5 Race
For Deschutes County Position 5, Morgan Schmidt received 45% of the vote and Rob Imhoff secured 38%. Jennifer Letz received 15% and Ron Boozell 2%. Schmidt and Imhoff will compete in the November runoff.
Local Levy Measures
In local levy measures, three out of four passed in Deschutes County. Voters in Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District approved their levy with 75% in favor, Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection District with 80%, and Camp Sherman Road District with 80%. The Alfalfa fire district levy did not pass, with 77% voting against it.
Crook County Race
Crook County's commissioner race will also go to a November runoff. Rick Steber received 43% of the vote and Julie Thompson received 38%, as neither candidate reached the 50% plus one vote threshold. Zach Berger finished in third place with 19%.
Jefferson County Details
In Jefferson County's Position 1, Wunsch defeated George Curtiss, who received 40%. For Position 2, Simmerlink's opponents included Ara Erdekian, who received 24%. Jefferson County voters rejected the library bond measure, with 66% voting no.
Statewide Races
Statewide, incumbent Sen. Jeff Merkley was nominated in the Democratic primary for another term. On the Republican side for Senate, David Smith is currently in the lead. For governor, incumbent Tina Kotek won the Democratic nomination. Christine Drazan is projected to win the Republican gubernatorial primary over Ed Diehl.
Congressional Races
Rep. Cliff Bentz will return to the general election race for Congressional District 2, facing Democrat Chris Beck. Congressional District 5, a swing district, saw Janelle Bynum elected in 2024. In 2026, Bynum will face Deschutes County Adair in the CD five race.
State Measure Results
Measure 120, a statewide gas tax, failed by a wide margin, with more than 80% of voters rejecting it.
Looking Ahead to November
Several races will appear on the November general election ballot. Voters will see the Governor's race between Kotek and Drazan and the Congressional District two race between Bentz and Beck or Congressional District five race between Bynum and Adair. Additionally, all three counties—Deschutes, Crook and Jefferson—will have sheriff races on the general election ballot, as these races require a general election vote if there are only two candidates.
In Deschutes County, Voters will be voting on the proposed Map C to district the county into five districts.
