Early election results Tuesday night showed Bend Mayor Melanie Kebler with a sizeable lead over challenger Bernadette Strome.
Initial results showed Kebler leading Strome 70% to 29%, a margin of about 14,000 votes. That margin likely secures a victory and reelection to a second mayoral term for the attorney and Democrat who has served on the Bend City Council since 2020.
“I’m thankful for voters for maintaining their trust in me and electing me once again to this position,” Kebler told the Source at an election party Tuesday evening. “I’m excited to get to work.”
She also noted successes by Democrats at the national level, where the party took back full control of Congress.
“I think we’re seeing our country say we reject the MAGA politics and we want people to get things done, fix our economy, create affordable housing.”
Strome, a small business owner and mother of four, entered the race just a few days before the filing deadline in August and faced an uphill battle to defeat Kebler. In debates and public forums, she criticized City spending, bicycle and pedestrian projects and called for more data collection and transparency.
In a phone call Tuesday night, she thanked the community and her team for support. When asked why she thought she didn’t gain more votes, Strome said voters are disenfranchised and burned out by social media, national news, daily life and the feeling that voting in local elections doesn’t matter.
“I really try to speak to each of those individuals, but you can’t reach every individual,” Strome said.
Two others running unopposed appeared to be sailing to victory Tuesday night: Sitting Councilor Ariel Méndez and newcomer Elana Reinholtz, a marketing and development manager for a local youth nonprofit.
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