Democrat Dallas Brown has dropped out of the race for county commissioner, ending his bid to unseat fellow democrat Alan Unger, the former Redmond mayor who has served one term on the county commission. A perennial candidate for office, Brown ran unsuccessfully against Tony DeBone for a seat on the county commission last year. However, his decision to run against an incumbent in his own party reportedly caught many dems by surprise.
On Thursday, Brown, who works in sales at Combined Communications and currently sits on the Bend Parks Board threw his support behind his would-be rival, saying in a press release that, “With what’s at stake in November, I have recognized the importance of uniting behind a strong voice for the commission. Alan Unger has been an exemplary public servant and I will work towards supporting his re-election.”
While Brown’s decision comes too late to remove his name from the May primary ballot, he made clear that he would be putting his own resources toward Unger’s reelection, including any additional campaign donations.
A political moderate, Unger is the only democrat on the Deschutes County commission. Assuming that he advances through the primary, he will face either Phil Henderson, a local homebuilder, or Tom Greene Bend City Councilor and local realtor.
