Emerson Levy Holds Onto Her Seat In 53rd House District, In Early Returns

Emerson Levy (D) looks to maintain her seat in Oregon’s House District 53, leading with 54.19% of the vote in early returns Wednesday morning.

Emerson Levy speaks after early results on Tuesday, November 5. Credit: Jennifer Baires

Levy, a renewable energy attorney who lives in Bend, narrowly flipped the seat in 2022 by just over 500 votes, a fact that fellow Democratic House Representative Jason Kropf (D-OR54) reminded her of during victory speeches on Tuesday night.

Supporters gathered at the Deschutes Democrats’ Party in downtown Bend on Tuesday night, celebrating what appeared to be numerous wins for local candidates. Credit: Jennifer Baires

“It’s so incredible what you were able to do in your first term,” Kropf said to Levy before handing over the microphone to her.

“I did not see this big of a margin coming,” Levy said before thanking her family and campaign staff for their support and dedication during the election.

Keri Lopez (R), who ran against Levy, has served on the Redmond School Board since 2021 and owns a homebuilding business with her husband. House District 53 includes north Bend, south Redmond, Tumalo, Sisters, Eagle Crest and Black Butte. It is fairly evenly split between registered Democrat (31%), Republican (27%) and non-affiliated (34%) voters, according to the Secretary of State’s most recent numbers.

This article appears in Source Weekly October 31, 2024.